Edwards' Religious Affections

Jonathan Edward’s treatise On the Religious Affections is one of the greatest gifts God has given to His church through the writings of an uninspired author.  Edwards observed the effects of the revival in New England in the 1740s, called “The Great Awakening,” with mixed emotions.  Over time, he saw that many people who had professed Christ as their Savior, gave up that profession and returned to their former way of life.  This included people who had appeared to genuinely accept the gospel with great feeling and joy.  Edwards studied Scripture to seek to understand this.  The result, was his great book On the Religious Affections.  It is the most insightful writing ever produced on what are the marks of true conversion.  There is nothing more important than discerning between genuine and false professions of faith.  Edward’s treatise is the finest examination of this crucial subject ever written.