"Praying Soldier", by Dean H.
This is the 15th post in my study of Jonathan Edwards famous text, Religious Affections
Today is Veteran's Day in the United States.
This is certainly a day to honor those who have served in our country's armed forces, and significantly more certainly, a day to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
As I was reading Jonathan Edwards this morning, it struck me that a soldier facing potential death is likely the most fitting understanding of what Jonathan Edwards is getting at in his ninth gracious affection:
"Gracious affections soften the heart, and are attended and followed with a Christian tenderness of spirit."
When a soldier faces a force that could end his/her life, I am most certain that it has a very profound affect on their lives, and worldview. In spite of all the John Wayne movies, when we as human beings, face death's door, it will break tender the hardest of hearts.
So too, when we understand a right relationship with God, and understand how great is the distance between his holiness and ours, then the true disciple of Christ, will also be melted with a tender heart.
This tender heart, writes Edwards, in the ninth evidence of a true disciple of Christ.
Let's explore more...
How can I know that I am a Christian? One way, writes Edwards, is evidence of a tender heart.
To give evidence of a tender heart, Edwards contrasts it with the false affections of a proud heart:
"False affections, however persons may seem to be melted by them while they are new, yet have a tendency in the end to harden the heart. A disposition to some kind of passions may be established; such as imply self-seeking, self-exaltation, and opposition to others. But false affections, with the delusion that attends them, finally tend to stupefy the mind, and shut it up against those affections wherein tenderness of heart consists: and the effect of 'em at last is, that persons in the settled frame of their minds, become less affected with their present and past sins, and less conscientious with respect to future sins, less moved with the warnings and cautions of God's Word, or God's chastisements in his providence, more careless of the frame of their hearts, and the manner and tendency of their behavior, less quick-sighted to discern what is sinful, less afraid of the appearance of evil, than they were while they were under legal awakenings and fears of hell. Now they have been the subjects of such and such impressions and affections, and have a high opinion of themselves, and look on their state to be safe; they can be much more easy than before, in living in the neglect of duties that are troublesome and inconvenient; and are much more slow and partial in complying with difficult commands; are in no measure so alarmed at the appearance of their own defects and transgressions; are emboldened to favor themselves more, with respect to the labor, and painful care and exactness in their walk, and more easily yield to temptations, and the solicitations of their lusts; and have far less care of their behavior, when they come into the holy presence of God, in the time of public or private worship. Formerly it may be, under legal convictions they took much pains in religion, and denied themselves in many things: but now they think themselves out of danger of hell, they very much put off the burden of the cross, and save themselves the trouble of difficult duties, and allow themselves more of the comfort of the enjoyment of their ease and their lusts."
I simply don't know how to put that any better. False affections close the heart, and make it hard to the things of Christ.
Contemplate this:
"Such persons as these, instead of embracing Christ as their Saviour from sin, they trust in him as the Saviour of their sins: instead of flying to him as their refuge from their spiritual enemies, they make use of him as the defense of their spiritual enemies, from God, and to strengthen them against him. They make Christ the minister of sin, and great officer and vicegerent of the devil, to strengthen his interest, and make him above all things in the world strong against JEHOVAH; so that they may sin against him with good courage, and without any fear, being effectually secured from restraints by his most solemn warnings and most awful threatenings. They trust in Christ to preserve to 'em the quiet enjoyment of their sins, and to be their shield to defend 'em from God's displeasure; while they come close to him, even to his bosom, the place of his children, to fight against him, with their mortal weapons, hid under their skirts.
However some of these, at the same time, make a great profession of love to God, and assurance of his favor, and great joy in tasting the sweetness of his love."
The above paragraph requires some chewing.
The best way for me to understand this statement, is to consider the life of King David. When David slew Goliath, even though he was God's beloved, it is very likely that David would have developed the prideful heart of King Saul. God did not want this for David. Therefore, for ten years, God, in his sovereign will, crushed every living drop of pride from David. David was brought to constant weeping, as a child with a tender heart, before the Lord, seeking only him as his refuge.
God desires that we run to him, as our refuge, and NOT take up "God's shield", turn away from God, and then seek to defend the world from our own strength with God's alleged might.
Does that make sense to you?
They are placing their faith in being righteous, instead of placing their faith in God. Satan is a subtle deceiver, and this is one of his best.
Read this, and let your heart weep:
"Gracious affections are of a quite contrary tendency; they turn a heart of stone more and more into a heart of flesh. An holy love and hope are principles that are vastly more efficacious upon the heart, to make it tender, and to fill it with a dread of sin, or whatever might displease and offend God, and to engage it to watchfulness and care and strictness, than a slavish fear of hell. Gracious affections, as was observed before, flow out of a contrite heart, or (as the word signifies) a bruised heart, bruised and broken with godly sorrow; which makes the heart tender, as bruised flesh is tender, and easily hurt. Godly sorrow has much greater influence to make the heart tender, than mere legal sorrow from selfish principles."
Dear Abba, thank you for breaking me. Thank you for not letting me go!
Observe Edwards' precious understandings of the tender heart, as compared to a child:
"The tenderness of the heart of a true Christian, is elegantly signified by our Saviour, in his comparing such a one to a little child:
The flesh of a little child is very tender: so is the heart of one that is new born.
Not only is the flesh of a little child tender, but his mind is tender. A little child has his heart easily moved, wrought upon and bowed: so is a Christian in spiritual things.
A little child is apt to be affected with sympathy, to weep with them that weep, and can't well bear to see others in distress: so it is with a Christian.
A little child is easily won by kindness: so is a Christian.
A little child is easily affected with grief at temporal evils, and has his heart melted, and falls a weeping: thus tender is the heart of a Christian, with regard to the evil of sin.
A little child is easily affrighted at the appearance of outward evils, or anything that threatens its hurt: so is a Christian apt to be alarmed at the appearance of moral evil, and anything that threatens the hurt of the soul.
A little child, when it meets enemies, or fierce beasts, is not apt to trust its own strength, but flies to its parents for refuge: so a saint is not self-confident in engaging spiritual enemies, but flies to Christ.
A little child is apt to be suspicious of evil in places of danger, afraid in the dark, afraid when left alone, or far from home: so is a saint apt to be sensible of his spiritual dangers, jealous of himself, full of fear when he can't see his way plain before him, afraid to be left alone, and to be at a distance from God.
A little child is apt to be afraid of superiors, and to dread their anger, and tremble at their frowns and threatenings: so is a true saint with respect to God.
A little child approaches superiors with awe: so do the saints approach God with holy awe and reverence.
Hence gracious affections don't tend to make men bold, forward, noisy and boisterous; but rather to speak trembling!" (emphasis mine)
With this, Edwards closes this ninth affection:
"All gracious affections have a tendency to promote this Christian tenderness of heart, that has been spoken of: not only a godly sorrow; but also a gracious joy; "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psalms 2:11). As also a gracious hope; "Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (Psalms 33:18). And: "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, and in them that hope in his mercy" (Psalms 147:11). Yea the most confident and assured hope, that is truly gracious, has this tendency. The higher an holy hope is raised, the more there is of this Christian tenderness. The banishing of a servile fear, by a holy assurance, is attended with a proportionable increase of a reverential fear. The diminishing of the fear of the fruits of God's displeasure in future punishment, is attended with a proportionable increase of fear of his displeasure itself: the diminishing of the fear of hell, with an increase of the fear of sin. The vanishing of jealousies of the person's state, is attended with a proportionable increase of jealousy of his heart, in a distrust of its strength, wisdom, stability, faithfulness, etc. The less apt he is to be afraid of natural evil, having "his heart fixed trusting in God, and so, not afraid of evil tidings"; the more apt is he to be alarmed with the appearance of moral evil, or the evil of sin. As he has more holy boldness, so he has less of self-confidence, and a forward assuming boldness, and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance from hell, so he has more of a sense of the desert of it. He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith; but more apt than others to be moved with solemn warnings, and with God's frowns, and with the calamities of others. He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart: richer than others, but poorest of all in spirit: the tallest and strongest saint, but the least and tenderest child amongst them."
Did you get that? Do you see?
I have lead such a prideful and arrogant life. The root of this pride and arrogance has been shame. Shame put on me, as a little child, from many sources.
Today, my great lesson, is that Christ-like humility brings the true disciple confidence, and hope. AND...that confidence and hope is in Jesus Christ...not me!
For years, I have stuffed the proper, tender-hearted little child. Part of this was that when my tender-hearted little child comes into the presence of Christ, there are generally great tears of admiration and awe.
Culture has told me that these tears are not for the strong, they are for the weak.
I believed the lie, and turned what was a tender heart for Christ, into a prideful heart for self.
Don't worry, God has been breaking, crushing, bruising, and running me through the wine-press.
It is very painful. Not for my natural pain, but for the pain I caused my Father in running from him, and becoming my own god.
Abba,
I stand mute before you, and simply let the tears of my heart, and the Holy Spirit's yearnings to make my bidding. Forgive me.
I love you,
Your son, David
