Images of Divine Things

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Edwards’ thoughts about how the natural world demonstrates divine things.

635. Lancing Wounds. Bad wounds must be searched to the bottom, and oftentimes, when they are very deep, they must be lanced and the core laid open, though it be very painful to endure, before they can have a good cure. The surgeon may skin them over, so that it may look like a cure without this, without much hurting the patient, but it will not do the patient much good. He does but deceive him for the present, but it will be not lasting benefit to him: the sore will break out again. This figures forth to us the case of our spiritual wound: the plague of our hearts which is great and deep and must be searched, and must be lanced by painful conviction. The core must be laid open. We must be made to see that fountain of sin and corruption there is, and what a dreadful state we are in by nature, in order to a thorough and saving cure. Jer. 8:11, speaking of the teachers of Israel, their prophets and priests: “They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace, when there is no peace.’”

638. Vanishing of Shades. There is a harmony between the methods of God’s providence in the natural and religious world, in this as well as many other things: that as when day succeeds the night, and the one comes on and the other gradually ceases, those lesser lights that serve to give light in the absence of the sun gradually vanish as the sun approaches. One star vanishes after another as daylight increases: the lesser stars first and the greater ones afterwards. The same star gradually vanishes till at length it wholly disappears and all these lesser lights are extinguished and the sun appears in his full glory above the horizon. So when the day of the gospel dawned, the ceremonies of the Old Testament and ordinances of the law of Moses that were only appointed to give light in the absence of the sun of righteousness (or until Christ should appear), and shone only with a borrowed and reflected light (like the planets), were gradually abolished one after another, and the same ordinance gradually ceased, and those ordinances that were principal (one of which was the Jewish sabbath) continued longest. There were a multitude of those ceremonies, which was a sign of their imperfection, but they altogether did but imperfectly supply the place of the sun of righteousness. But when the sun of righteousness is come, there is no need of them. When the true sacrifice is come, there is no need of any of the legal sacrifices. When Christ is come and gives and introduces the gospel, that is the ministration of the Spirit, there is no more need of ceremonies in worship. But the time is now come that men must worship God in spirit and truth. So there is a multitude of stars that shine in the night, but they altogether do but very imperfectly supply the absence of the sun. But when the sun rises, they all vanish, and we find no want of them.