The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards Remember to read over these resolutions once a week. Number one, resolve that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory and my own good, profit and pleasure in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence, resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many so ever, and how great so ever. Number two. Resolved to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again. 4. Resolved, never to do any manner of things, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it. Number five.
Resolved never to lose one moment of time, but improve it with the most profitable way I possibly can. Six. Resolved to live with all my might while I do live. 7. Resolved never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
Number eight, resolve to act in all respects both speaking and doing as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others, and that I will Let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30. 9. Resolve to think much on all occasions of my own dying and of the common circumstances which attend death. 10.
Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom and of hell. 11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. 12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride or vanity, or any such account immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality. 14. Resolved never to do anything out of revenge. 15.
Resolved never to suffer the least motions of anger toward irrational beings. 16. Resolved never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good. 17. Resolve that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolve to live so at all times as I think is best in my devout frames and when I have clearest notions of things of the Gospel and another world. 19. Resolved never to do anything which I should be afraid to do, if expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump. 20.
Resolved to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking. 21. Resolved never to do anything, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. Resolutions 1 through 21, written in one setting in New Haven in 1722. Number 22 Resolved to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can with all the power, might, vigour, and vehemence, yea, violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved frequently to take some deliberate action which seems most unlikely to be done for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs, and ends of it. And if I find it not to be for God's glory, to repute it as a breach of the fourth resolution. 24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back till I come to the original cause, and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
Twenty-five. Resolve to examine carefully and constantly what that one thing in me is which causes me, in the least, to doubt of the love of God, and to direct all my forces against it. 26. Resolved, to cast away such things as I find do abate my assurance. 27.
Resolved, never willfully to omit anything except the omission be for the glory of God, and frequently to examine my omissions. 28. Resolved to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. 29. Resolved, never to count that of prayer, nor let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of prayer, which is so made that I cannot hope that God will answer it, nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion and to a higher exercise of grace than I was the week before. 31. Resolved never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule, often when I have said anything against anyone, to bring to it and try it strictly by the test of this resolution. 32.
Resolved to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust that that in Proverbs 26 a faithful man who can find may not be partly fulfilled in me. 33 Resolve to do always what I can towards making, maintaining and preserving peace when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. December 26, 1722 Resolved in narrations never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity. 35. Resolved whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed to set it down, and also how the Question was resolved December 18, 1722.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. December 19, 1722. 37 Resolved to inquire every night as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself, also at the end of every week, month, and year." December 22 and 26, 1722. Number 38, Resolved.
1722. Number 38, Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord's Day, Sabbath evening, December 23, 1722. Number 39. Resolve never to do anything of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not, unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission. Number 40.
Resolve to inquire every night before I go to bed whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could with respect to eating and drinking. January 7, 1723. 41. Resolved to ask myself at the end of every week, day, month, and year wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. January 11, 1723.
Number 42 resolved frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed when I was received in the communion of the Church, and which I have solemnly remade this twelfth day of January 1722-23. Number 43, Resolved. Never henceforward till I die to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's, agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723. Number 44. Resolved that no other end but religion shall have any influence at all on any of my actions, and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it.
January 12, 1723. Number 45, Resound. Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. January 12 and 13, 1723. Number 46 Resolved.
Never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech or motion of my eye, and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family. 47. Resolved To endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented, and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere temper, and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to, and to examine strictly at the end of every week whether I have done so. Sabbath morning, May 5, 1723.
Number 48. Resolved constantly with the utmost niceness and diligence and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not, that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723. Number 49, Resolve that this never shall be, if I can help it. 50.
Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge what would have been best and most prudent when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723. Number 51 resolved that I will act so in every respect as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723. Number 52.
I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live if they were to live their lives over again. Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had one, supposing I live to old age, July 8, 1723. Number 53, Resolved, to improve every opportunity when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in Him, and consecrate myself wholly to Him, that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723, 54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, resolved to endeavor to imitate it, July 8, 1723.
Number 55. Resolved to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell torments. July 8, 1723. Hell torments. July 8, 1723.
Number 56. Resolved. Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. 57. Resolved, when I hear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as Providence orders it, I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin." May 27 and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly, yea, at such times to manifest good-nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11 and July 13. Number 60. Resolved.
Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July and 13, 17, 23. Number 61, Resolve. That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it. That what my listlessness inclines me to do is best to be done, so forth, May 21 and July 13, 1723.
Sixty-two, resolved, never to do anything but duty. And then, according to Ephesians 6, 6 to 8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man, knowing that whatever good things any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord." June 25 and July 13, 1723. Number 63, on the supposition that there never was to be but one individual in the world at any one time who was properly a complete Christian in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely from whatever part, and under whatever character viewed, resolved to act just as I would do if I strove with all my might to be that one who should live in my time, January 14 and July 13, 1723. 64, Resolved. When I find those groanings which cannot be uttered, Romans 8 26, of which the apostles speaks, and those breakings of soul for the longing it hath, of which the psalmist speaks, Psalm 119 20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires nor of the repetitions of such earnestness, July 23rd and August 10, 1723.
Number 65, Resolved. Very much to exercise myself in this all my life long, with the greatest openness of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to Him all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and everything, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton's 27th sermon of Psalms 119, July 26 and August 10, 1723. Number 66 resolved that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, an air of acting and speaking in all places and in all companies except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise. 67.
Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them. 68. Resolved, To confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin, and if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23rd and August 10th, 1723. 69.
Resolved, always do that which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723. Number 70 let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak. August 17, 1723.