Saturday, September 30, 2006

The Edwards Spider Comic Strip

"Of all Insects no one is more wonderful than the Spider especially with Respect to their sagacity and admirable way of working.

These Spiders for the Present shall be Distinguished into those that keep in houses and those that keep in forests upon trees bushes shrubs &c and those that keep in rotten Logs for I take em to be of very Different kinds and natures; there are also other sorts some of which keep in rotten Logs hollow trees swamps and grass.

Of these last every One knows the truth of their marching in the air from tree to tree and these sometimes at five or six rods Distanss sometimes..."

-Jonathan Edwards "On Spiders" (1723)

We moderns must have too much time on our hands.

Click here for further evidence.

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Wednesday, September 20, 2006

On beauty


If you are interested in Edwards on beauty you should be aware that the Liberty Fund have reissued Francis Hutcheson's An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue (1725). They also have some volumes by George Turnbull. The printed volumes are particularly handsome and well done - but you can also download free PDFs of the texts. Hutcheson is here.



You may also be interested in our republication (with Wipf and Stock) of Delattre's Beauty and Sensibility in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards. It is worth it just for the foreword. Email us for pricing and ordering.



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Friday, September 08, 2006

20% Discount on All Volumes in Works of Jonathan Edwards Series


At the Jonathan Edwards Center, we have long been concerned about the high prices of our volumes. As such, we are continually working with Yale University Press in an effort to keep publishing costs down so that you can put Edwards volumes in your study and also put dinner on your table.

Our latest arrangement to that end is that we have asked YUP to set up a public discount page for the entire Works of Jonathan Edwards series.

If you go to this page, you can purchase any of our volumes at a 20% discount if you apply the discount code when you finalize your order.


Click here to go to the Works of Jonathan Edwards discount page.

We recognize that, even with the discount, our volumes are expensive to purchase new. We recommend that you also look on amazon.com for even lower rates on used volumes.

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Thursday, September 07, 2006

JEC's Late Summer Tour

Recently the JEC took a trip up the Connecticut River Valley to take some photographs of places that Edwards spent his time.

Here are a few of our finds, for your enjoyment. It was a rainy day so the lighting is lousy, but you'll get the general idea.


S. Windsor, CT.


The site of Timothy and Esther Edwards' Homestead

The graveyard at Timothy Edwards' church

Esther Edwards' grave (JE's mother)


Enfield, CT. (formerly Enfield, MA.)


The Congregational Church, Enfield, CT.



Northampton, MA.

Stoddard Homestead

Jerusha Edwards' Grave

David Brainerd's Grave


ps/STOP PRESS: We'll have big news over the next couple of weeks, with respect to a specially negotiated discount on Yale volumes, some real cool t-shirts, and some newly published works....watch this space...

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Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Jonathan Edwards is My Homeboy T-Shirt



By popular demand, we have secured the rights from Christianity Today (with many thanks to Collin Hansen and Gary Gnidovic, the guys who conceived the t-shirt design) to manufacture the Jonathan Edwards is My Homeboy t-shirts.

You too can be styling in JE-wear shortly. Watch this space for details.

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Saturday, September 02, 2006

John Calvin


Here is an extraordinary statement from Calvin - from his preface to Pierre Olivetan's New Testament published in 1734. It gives a vivid sense of the tradition that Edwards was self-consciously aligned with throughout his life.


And we have a still greater and a more sure consolation, when we turn our eyes away from this whole world and set aside all that we can see before us, to wait with patience for the great judgment of God, by which in one moment all the machinations of men against him shall be struck down, brought to nought, and overturned. This shall be when the Kingdom of God, which we now see in hope, shall become manifest; when Jesus Christ shall appear in majesty with his angels. It shall then be that the good and the evil shall be present before the judgment seat of this great King. Those who have remained firm in this testament, who have followed and kept the will of this good Father, shall be at his right hand as his true children, and shall be blessed with the fulfillment of their faith, which shall be eternal salvation. And since they were not ashamed to own and confess Jesus Christ, when he was despised and condemned before men, they shall also share in his glory, and shall be crowned with him in eternity. But the perverse, rebellious, and condemned, who have despised and rejected this holy gospel, and similarly those who for the sake of holding on to their honor, riches, and high estate have been unwilling to be humbled and made low with Jesus Christ; who for fear of men have cast aside the fear of God and like bastard [sons] disobeyed this Father -- these shall be on the left hand; they shall be executed and cast out; for the reward of their unfaithfulness, they shall receive eternal death.

Therefore, when you hear that the gospel presents you Jesus Christ in whom all the promises and gifts of God have been accomplished; and when it declares that he was sent by the Father, has descended to the earth and spoken among men perfectly all that concerns our salvation, as it was foretold in the Law and to the Prophets -- it ought to be most certain and obvious to you that the treasures of Paradise have been opened to you in the gospel; that the riches of God have been exhibited and eternal life itself revealed. For, this is eternal life; to know one, only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, whom he has established as the beginning, the middle, and the end of our salvation. He [Christ] is Isaac, the beloved Son of the Father who was offered as a sacrifice, but nevertheless did not succumb to the power of death. He is Jacob the watchful shepherd, who has such great care for the sheep which he guards. He is the good and compassionate brother Joseph, who in his glory was not ashamed to acknowledge his brothers, however lowly and abject their condition. He is the great sacrificer and bishop Melchizedek, who has offered an eternal sacrifice once for all. He is the sovereign lawgiver Moses, writing his law on the tables of our hearts by his Spirit. He is the faithful captain and guide Joshua, to lead us to the Promised Land. He is the victorious and noble king David, bringing by his hand all rebellious power to subjection. He is the magnificent and triumphant king Solomon, governing his kingdom in peace and prosperity. He is the strong and powerful Samson, who by his death has overwhelmed all his enemies.
It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for Our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune. For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things. And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, glorying under vituperation, abounding in poverty, warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death.

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