Repentance - Edwards

I found the following excerpts from The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader ed. by Kimnach, Minkenma, & Sweeney (Yale University Press, 1999) enlightening and challenging with regard to our understanding of sin and repentance. This sermon was given in 1723 and is titled, “The Pleasantness of Religion.” The language is old, but the content is excellent. Enjoy.

When the wicked man pursues sensual delights in a wicked manner, he doth it against his reason and conscience; his flesh drives him on against his mind, his understanding consents not but opposes him in it. So that he enjoys his pleasures with war with himself, his own reason, and conscience opposing him, which takes away the sweetness of the pleasure, and his body only is partaker of the pleasure and not his mind. He enjoys pleasures, but there is a sting in them, and conscience roars the while and will not give him peace. His own reason will not let him alone to enjoy them peaceably. . . (16)

All the pleasures of sin for the most part do bring more of sorrow than of pleasure in this life, whether the pleasures of sloth, of luxury, or drunkenness, or rioting, or fornication. . . (18)

There is repentance of sin: though it be a deep sorrow for sin that God requires as necessary to salvation, yet the very nature of it necessarily implies delight. Repentance of sin is a sorrow arising from the sight of God’s excellency and mercy, but the apprehension of excellency or mercy must necessarily and unavoidably beget pleasure in the mind of the beholder. ‘Tis impossible that anyone should see anything that appears to him excellent and not behold it with pleasure, and it’s impossible to be affected with the mercy and love of God, and his willingness to be merciful to use and love us, and not be affected with pleasure at the thoughts of [it]; but this is the very affection that begets true repentance. How much soever of a paradox it may seem, it is true that repentance is a sweet sorrow, so that the more of this sorrow, the more pleasure.

Especially do great delights ensue and follow it. Repentance, it clears up the mind and makes it easy and serene, and brings the good comfort into the soul. (19)

Self-denial destroys the very root and foundation of sorrow, and is nothing else but the lancing of a grievous and painful sore that effects a cure and brings abundance of health as a recompense for the pain of the operation. (19)

We must conclude that the pleasures of the soul are far better than of the body, for that is most excellent and has the highest faculties . . . and is capable of the greatest delights and most excellent gratifications. (20)

In essence, sin brings pleasure grounded in sorrow whereas self-denial brings sorrow grounded in pleasure. Isn’t it true? When we pursue what feels best and know it to be sin, we experience, in the end, sorrow. When we pursue God’s way, we experience, in the end, pleasure – delight. Self-denial and repentance are the avenues to pleasure and delight. Chew on that one for a while. It’s true.