For Thursday: read the following; write a comment about them (notice something interesting!); and write, on paper, your own list of at least ten resolutions.
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)
BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE.
Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, 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 and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.
21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. (Resolutions 1 through 21 written in one setting in New Haven in 1722)
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. 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.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, 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 anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.
32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6, A faithful man who can find? may not be partly fulfilled in me.
33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.
34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.
35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.
37. 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. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.
38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord' s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.
39. Resolved, never to do any thing of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
40. 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. Jan. 7, 1723.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.
43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God' s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.
44. Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. January 12, 1723.
45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.
46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.
47. 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 done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.
48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.
51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.
55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.
58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.
60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.
61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.
62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man: knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord. June 25 and July 13, 1723.
63. 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 luster, 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. January 14 and July 13, 1723.
64. Resolved, when I find those ‹groanings which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those breakings of soul for the longing it hath, of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.
66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. August 17, 1723.
Clearly, Edwards is a very religious guy. That is probably the most obvious statement behind water is blue and grass is green. But what is really notable about this passage is how concerned he is about people's perception of him, from obviously god, to friends and family, to particularly himself. He wants to live his life without regrets at the end of it, and I find that to be admirable.
ReplyDelete~Daniel Krane E-block
Not only is Edwards very religious, but he is also very strict about how people should be religious, placing restrictions on what he can and cannot feel and do. He also seems to be a little paranoid about being led astray or other people being led astray. He will only allow himself to do things that benefit his piety.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see Edwards considers himself a very religious guy by stating that he can only do certain actions and feel certain emotions because of God. I think it's really interesting how deep he is into Christianity and how everybody was like that back than. From his resolutions it seems as he wants to make the best of respecting himself people around him and Christianity.
ReplyDelete-Shira Hartman E-block
Aside from being religious, Edwards seems to be really hard on himself. A lot of his resolutions have to do with him not being allowed to get angry, or to punish himself when others do something wrong. At the same time, he also talks about doing everything in his power to help others when he can.
ReplyDeleteGod is Edwards first motivator in life to do good. From many of his resolutions the possibility of Hell seems to scare him into wanting to do no sin. However Edward seems to have to same goal in life as most; he wants to live it to the fullest with no regrets and treat everyone with kindness. No matter what one's religion is this is a pretty common over arching theme. Edward also talks about checking himself when he stops following his goals. This take a lot of self control but it seems that Edwards has the disapline to achive his goal.
ReplyDeleteElla MacVeagh - E Block
Edwards seems very obsessed with the idea of time. He mentions checking himself at the end of days or weeks or months to see if he's behaving correctly, eating the right food, being disrespectful, etc. He wants to make sure that he takes communion frequently enough and never does something he's afraid of for too long. All this time obsession seems to manifest itself in his bringing up death frequently. He compares his pain to that of hell, wants to keep his death wishes in order, and live well in case he dies soon. He seems to be completely at the mercy of his fear of death and fear of not leading a fulfilled life.
ReplyDelete~Rebecca Krane
Some of Edwards' resolutions are ones that people, religious or not, can at first relate to - even though he then ties most of these things to God. It is interesting that while he emphasizes what he believes about the afterlife, he also considers life itself to be important. An example of this is his repeated statements about not regretting how he spent his life before he dies.
ReplyDelete-Amanda F.
I thought that Edward's resolutions not only show how religiously oriented he is, but also his seriousness towards religion. It seems pretty insane that one man was able to write 70 resolutions about himself and religion. While most of the resolutions had to do with religion
ReplyDeleteI still thought there were several interesting resolutions that everyone can practice and implement in everyday life, like living with all your might when you live.
Corey Grill
E Block
Edwards places a lot of importance in "my fight with my corruptions." Many of his resolutions have to do with atoning for any mistakes he may make or supressing parts of him that may tempt behavior of which God would not approve. This shows that Edwards does not view himself to be above an average person - that he himself makes mistakes. These resolutions would give hope to others who wish to be more religious by showing them that you do not have to be any less human to be closer to God. According to Edwards, the effort to make up for past mistakes is what matters.
ReplyDeleteClaire Meyerovitz
E Bock
Edwards is very religious but I noticed that he talks a lot about living. "Living like it is you last hour",its almost like he fears death even though as a christian he believes to be going to heaven. Most religions believe you have a better after life than the life you lived on earth, it seems he doesnt agree. He also believes he makes mistakes and is just a regular person, he doesnt view himself any better and there for going to a better place than any of us.
ReplyDeleteMarisa Najarian
F Block
I agree with what Amanda said, in that most people can learn a thing or two from Mr. Edwards. Although his version of a moral code seems extremely strict and like a lot of work, the idea behind most of his resolutions are fairly valuable life lessons. I think that if Edwards stuck to his own rules on this list, then he should be commended heavily, because it shows extreme will power and moral discipline. Even though most people aren't quite as religious as he is, certainly they can learn from his example of good citizenship.
ReplyDeleteEdwards repeatedly expresses how he will always try to live his life to the fullest. He explains a lot how if he ever messes up in life, or forgets one of his resolves, he must"'repent to God". I find it interesting how at the very top (in caps) Edwards writes that he cannot function in life without God's help. His resolutions all revolve around being seen as a "good" christian in God's eyes, and going to heaven. His resolves express a life of perfection and having good virtues and morals to receive a good afterlife.
ReplyDeleteSiena Fried
E Block
Edwards resolutions are very focused towards his religious feelings but also towards the way he wants to live his life. He seems to feel very focused on not letting things dictate how he lives his life besides for God. He expresses in these resolutions how important his duties are and that he must follow through with them. Some of these important duties include opening up to God, repenting, and to be true to himself and God. When making these resolutions it seems as though he had in mind much of how he is perceived to God and himself.
ReplyDeleteChloe Fishman
E Block
Edwards's resolutions mainly focus on religion and self-discipline. This is befitting to a minister, but it still seems somewhat over-the-top. In particular, Resolution 44 struck me as extreme. He writes, "Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it." This resolution really illustrates how religion was the governing force of every aspect of Edwards's life. It also seems as if he has to make sure that he adheres to this, indicated by all his resolutions about thoughts of Hell and pain, and if left to his own devices he would not do so.
ReplyDeleteEdwards focuses on bettering himself both in his faith and as a human being. All of these resolutions are about striving to become a better person. Though his faith is admirable, the level of devotion that Edward seems to display in these resolutions is excessive. It is admirable that he strives to better himself, yet it seems like he doesn't allow himself to make any mistakes. Sometimes we learn more from making a mistake than from being perfect all the time. On the other hand, it is impressive that his faith is so strong that he is willing to change in order to better himself repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteOverall, Edward's resolutions reveal a lot about himself as a person. They show us how dedicated to his personal image he is, and how much self-discipline and religion play a role in his life. Most importantly, however, is that, in my opinion, these resolutions seem to represent a little bit of insecurity and fear of his influence on the people around him.
ReplyDelete-Chris
Here it became apparent to me very quickly that Edwards sees his individuality as being an immediate connection to God, unklike in Rowlandson's writing. Edwards emphasizes the necessity of self-reflection. Resolution 60 ("Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order...I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.")serves as just one example. I agree strongly with his elevation of self-reflection, but I deviate from his opinion that every cause for reflection is to determine whether one is being a good Christian citizen (is a sinner, believes strongly enough in God etc) or not. I was also surprised by resolution 15. I think it's interesting that his view of rationality is religion when reason, perhaps defined in the Enlightenment, is observation and analysis.
ReplyDelete-Anna Parkhurst
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Edwards resolutions show a lot about him as a person and about what life was probably like in his time. Many of his resolutions deal with God or some way in which he can increase his prayers or improve upon himself spiritually. It also makes the impression that for the average person alive then felt like it was their duty to do God's will and only God's will and that if they didn't they would go to hell.
ReplyDeleteKate Rhodes
F Block
Edwards is obsessed with god's look on him by the end of the day, therefore everyday he makes sure to be the best that he can be to god, himself and the surrounding so that eventually he can earn his spot in heaven under god. From these resolutions I think we can see that Edwards is a little bit insecure or scared to do as he wishes so he finds something that demands actions in this case, religion.
ReplyDeleteKeinan E block
Edwards seems resolved to strive for perfection in every way that he can think to. He mentions in several instances his intentions to reflect upon and eliminate his imperfections and short comings. He set strick limitations on himself in regards to physical aspects of life, (food, drink, pain) as well as his mental reflections on his own shortcomings and on God's will. It seems to me that Edward's idea of living life to its fullest is slightly different than the common embrace the moment and live with no regrets. Edwards seems to want to go about it by striving for an ideal that never makes mistakes nor has a thought that could be seen in god's eyes as less than satisfactory. He seems rather tightly wound.
ReplyDelete^ Marie Kolarik E bock
ReplyDeleteWhen we think of, or create resolutions, it is always with a sense of independence. We talk about creating resolutions that we are going to work hard to carry out, and that we strive to use to change ourselves. I thought it was interesting that for Edwards it wasn't something he achieved on his own, but instead he says his resolutions are things he hopes to achieve, but ultimately God will choose what he lets Edwards accomplish.
ReplyDelete-- Gabby St Pierre F Block
Edwards seems to be extremely determined in reaching high expectations he sets for himself. His resolutions range from never doing x, to always doing y. Instead of setting smaller, perhaps more realistic goals for himself he thrives to achieve it all within this one set of resolutions.
ReplyDeleteEdward's resolutions show that he is obsessed with religion and that he takes his religion very seriously. Edward is greatly devoted to his religion and lives his life by what he thinks, God wants him to do. Edward believes that God has all the power and will decide what he will do in the future. Edwards, also talks extensively about wicked men and hell. He says that God at any time can punish the wicked and send them to hell.
ReplyDelete-Jared Videlefsky
E-Block
It seems like Edwards is trying to prove a point to not only God, but also the people reading this that he is very close to his religion. He refers to the scripture and claims that people should read these resolutions once a week. By saying, "Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion," he is trying to prove a point to his congregation.
ReplyDelete-Lindsey Pearlstein
While religion for Edwards clearly comes first, he still mentions living Life to the fullest and being as Happy as he can. What is unclear to me, is whether he means this in a secular or religious way. He contradicts himself in this way in that he wants to live his life to the fullest and never waste a single second on doing anything but loving God, which leaves very little room in his life to do anything but that. I would say that sometimes to be happy and to live life, you also need to take breaks and explore the world. As smart as he may have been, he still seems very narrow minded.
ReplyDeleteMike W
I Find the degree of thought and self awareness that Edwards put into his resolutions to be impressive. He goes as deep into each concept as it takes to find the root of the problem and then tries to fix the most basic, deepest flaws that he sees. I also agree with Marisa that despite his attachment to religion, he as an interesting obsession with his time on earth, not just in heaven
ReplyDeleteIn these resolutions Edwards outlines how one should their life in a godly manner. Edward's was notorious for making people live as he desires. For example he was dismissed from his own congregation due to his assertiveness in people's faith. These resolutions clearly solidfy the notion that Jonathan Edward's had a very specific idea on how a christian should live their life, and/or practice their faith.
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing a pattern in mostly everyones commments: Jon Edwards is religious. I also noticed a religious pattern in his resolutions. What I noticed was almost every resolution follows the ten commandments.
ReplyDeleteI also really like how much Edwards looks ahead in the future, 52 was my favorite resolution, because he's reflecting on how he wants to look back on how well he lived his life whens he is older.
Jack Corcoran
To me, the most outstanding feature of Johnathan Edward's Resolutions is simply their unmanageable number (70). After about twenty (or even ten) they begin to repeat themselves in meaning. Additionally, resolving to adhere to all his resolutions would have been a difficult or even impossible task as fulfilling one may lead to straying from another. And while it is interesting all be it impractical to dissect each commitment, I believe "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope." -Sir Winston Churchill
ReplyDelete-Colby Ko
I think it's cool that Edwards pretty much went through ALL of his values and wrote every single one down. His main focus seems to be on the end of his life and dying. So, a lot of his values relate to gaining toward his after life or life right before death. It's kind of interesting, because being a young person I am very focused on my life NOW, so it's strange to think that someone would plan so much and do so much for the consequences they will face like 40 years from now when they're dead.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how Edwards resolved to do quite a few things that I have heard people saying today. For example, number 6 can be related to "living life to its fullest." Another example is number 7 which can be related to the phrase "live every moment like its your last." This is a phrase that I have heard several times throughout my life. While many of Edwards' resolutions would be considered a bit overboard or harsh by today's standards, it was intriguing to find some that have relevance to resolutions being made in modern times.
ReplyDelete-Jamie Lamoureux
Edwards is not driven to take any risks by explaining that he never wants to go anything he is afraid of (number 7). On the other hand, he IS driven to repent for any mistakes he makes by tracing back "conspicuously evil action" (number 24)and by thinking about his mistakes before he goes to bed every night (37).
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite is number 45 where he talks about not allowing himself to have any pleasure, joy or sorrow. He can't have any affection either. Basically, he wants to be a robot.
-Danielle Balanov, E-Block
My favorite is number 14, "never do anything out of revenge." Getting even with someone can sometimes seem like such an appealing option, and this is a good reminder to take the high road.
ReplyDeleteHe sends out the general message to treat others how you would like to be treated and to always rise above the situation.
~Lily Waldron, E block
It is quite interesting how Edwards continues to hark on three major ideas in all of his resolutions. He talks in the beginning about how he should improve himself inwardly and what efforts he might make to do so. He also talks about what his duty is to the rest of society and how he should be charitable and always kind outwardly as well as inwardly. The last focal point in the resolutions is Edwards relationship with god. He talks about god consistently through the list of resolutions and more specifically his personal relationship with god and how he acts towards scripture and the holy spirit. The list of resolutions is largely comprised of guidelines based on those three ideas.
ReplyDelete-James Wronoski
Skimming through his resolutions, Edwards strikes me as having a scientific way of analyzing the world around him. His list seems to be an organized synopsis of the bible. A lot of these resolutions are, though masked in religious wording and perhaps a bit extreme, basic principles most religious people live by. Do good unto others, pray, read holy scriptures, etc. For Edwards, however, it seems that it is not enough to be aware of these acts of morality - they need to be listed and classified like scientific data taken from the Bible.
ReplyDeleteBecause of his background as a minister and extreme faith in God, it is clear that a majority of Edwards's resolutions would follow the theme of religion. Most of his resolutions are about increasing the frequency of his religious practices while many still seem to be about self improvement in the sense of becoming a more righteous man. This is strange to me because I didn't know of him to be such a virtuous person outside of the world of religion, and expected him to have much hubris. For instance in one of his resolutions he mentions that if he has too much pride or vanity, he will try to rid himself of it.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Martone
F Bl0ck
The resolutions made by Edward's often preach a distinct fear of god. This fear is expressed so greatly it seems as though it was intended to scare others, perhaps even more than express his own feelings. Such scary ideas of the punishments that could be inflicted when certain resolutions are not obeyed makes it almost seem as though Edwards feels the need to act as a harbinger of doom for God himself. Beyond simply stating his own fear, the short curt nature of the notes almost make it into a checklist for others. It is difficult to believe that Edwards read this list every day to ensure he was following rules, but perhaps he made this checklist as an example for others. The seeming excessive amount of resolutions would set a high standard for others converting to his rather drastic idea of faith, and give others an idea of what they "need" to do in order to live proper lives.
ReplyDeleteJohn David Nurme
E Block
These Resolutions made it seem like Edward's has a healthy respect for God and a good amount of fear of him as well. He seems to be dealing with this fear by using extremes such as feeling the pain of matyrdom and hell.
ReplyDelete- Josef Shohet
E block
In contrast to some modern attitudes, Edwards seems to value his own happiness below living a virtuous life. He seems willing to subject himself to intense shame and criticism constantly rather than let the smallest sin slip by unrepented for.
ReplyDelete6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
ReplyDeleteMeaning that when he dies he can relax. That he no longer has to try any harder to please God.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings
He looks down on these "irrational beings", and since he is so much higher, and so much better, he can't be angry at these people who clearly aren't as good as he is.
Jon Edwards has some admirable resolutions, for doing no evil etc.. but he also has an air of pomposity. Almost like he is writing these resolutions not for himself, but for other people to see and think how great of a person he is.
Jonathon Edwards is clearly a very religious man who is striving to live his life based on God and his numerous teachings. In the majority of his resolutions, he mentions God or Christ. Not only does he want to follow God's word throughout life, but he also wants to do good onto people, whether or not people do good unto him. He is a truly religious man who is directed in life by God.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Bayer
Jonathan Edwards is quite obviously a very religious man. He mentioned God in nearly every resolution. He seems to live every moment of his life religiously. I am curious as to how strictly he follows the bible as well as his theological interpretation for some of the odder or difficult to explain passages of the bible. I also wonder which enlightenment ideas have affected him. He seems to be puritan given that he is from Massachusetts and that besides giving his life to religion he still feels that he is a sinner in every action of his life.
ReplyDelete- Cyrus Rassoulian
It is apparent that Jonathan Edwards' life greatly revolves around religion. Edwards refers to God many times in his resolutions by saying he would live by God's laws. It also seems that Edwards is trying to fully please God by saying he will also teach religion to others who don't believe. Edwards comes across as a sycophant by doing this because he is completely changing his life for God and forcing himself to believe in morals that he think would please God. It makes me question Edwards motives for writing his resolutions.
ReplyDelete-Oliver Sablove
I find it fascinating and somewhat ironic that he asks God to "enable [him] to keep these resolutions" because a significant number of them include the word "God," verbatim. In fact, even those resolutions that don't make mention of God still pertain to holy persuits, such as when he says, "...to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I..." Thus, it seems that even though many of these resolutions have to do with self-improvement, even these are in the context of God.
ReplyDeleteEdwards is obviously very religious, and this is apparent in a lot of his resolutions. However, a lot of his resolutions are also simply things that he thinks he can do better in his life and things that not religious people, too, can draw upon. In this way, as Bianca said, he is fairly hard on himself. These are all things he thinks he can do better. Obviously, no one is perfect and there are things everyone can do better, but it would take a critical eye to point out 70 things you could do better.
ReplyDeleteJosh Slavin, F Block