Treatise on Grace: And Other Posthumously Published Writings

Jonathan Edwards, saint and metaphysician, revivalist ad theologian, stands out as the one figure of real greatness in the intellectual life of colonial America. From his earliest days he showed remarkable powers of observation and deduction, revealing a precocious mind deeply interested in nature and finding in it the marks of a provident God. In 1716 he entered Yale and discovered the world of philosophy. Two years of postgraduate study in theology followed in preparation for entering the ministry. During this period he underwent a profound religious experience which he described in his Personal Narrative as giving him a new awareness of the absolute sovereignty of God and man's complete dependence on Him. Edwards' religious philosophy grew directly out of this experience. The three essays in this volume, 'Treatise on Grace', 'An Essay on the Trinity' and 'Observations Concerning the Trinity' throw considerable light on some important but often neglected themes in Edwards' work.