Having shown that true religion consists very much in the affections, we must now guard against a second error — approving all affections indiscriminately. The right way is to distinguish among religious affections. Edwards sets out twelve things which are no certain signs one way or the other, followed (in Part III) by the marks which do distinguish truly gracious affections.
Sign I — That Affections Are Very Great or Raised Very High
Some condemn all high affections as enthusiasm or delusion. But if true religion consists greatly in affections, then much true religion will produce great affections. Love is an affection — shall we say men ought not love God and Christ in a high degree? The Scripture commands the highest possible degree: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” The saints and angels in heaven are as a pure heavenly flame of fire in their love, joy, and gratitude. Therefore very high affections are no evidence against their being genuine.
But on the other hand, great affections are equally no evidence for their being gracious. The Galatians had been exceedingly elevated — yet Paul feared he had laboured among them in vain (Gal. 4:15). The children of Israel sang God's praise at the Red Sea, then quickly worshipped the golden calf. The multitude cried Hosanna; within days they cried Crucify. All orthodox divines concur that affections may be raised to a very high degree and yet there be nothing of true religion.
Sign II — That They Have Great Effects on the Body
All affections, of whatever kind, have some effect on the body. The greater the affection, the greater the bodily effect. Great effects on the body are therefore no sure evidence that affections are spiritual — for we see such effects arise from great affections about entirely temporal things. Nor can they be evidence against gracious affections. Scripture itself uses bodily effects to express the strength of holy affection: trembling, groaning, being sick, crying out, panting, fainting. The prophet Habakkuk, Daniel, and the apostle John all experienced overwhelming bodily effects from a sense of God's glory. God has taught us that if the glory of heaven were given in full, the body could not subsist under it. Who shall therefore set limits on how much of that glory God may give in this life?
Sign III — That They Cause Persons to Be Fluent and Fervent in Talking of Religion
Neither abundant religious talk, nor the lack of it, is a certain sign one way or the other. Abundance of talk may arise from a heart full of holy affections — or from a heart full of unholy ones. Strong affections of whatever kind dispose persons to speak much and earnestly about their object. A tree that is over full of leaves seldom bears much fruit; a cloud full of wind seldom brings rain. Edwards notes that false affections, if equally strong, are often more forward to declare themselves than true ones, because it is the nature of false religion to affect show and observation, as it was with the Pharisees.
Sign IV — That Persons Did Not Make Them Themselves
Some condemn affections that persons cannot account for — as if the Spirit of God must always work silently and indiscernibly. But if grace is truly the workmanship of an almighty extrinsic agent, it is not strange that it should seem to its subjects as coming from beyond themselves. God's manner in his great works has been to make his hand visible and his power conspicuous — as in the Exodus, Gideon's army, David and Goliath, and the conversions in the New Testament. On the other hand, affections arising involuntarily are no evidence of saving grace either. There are other spirits that have influence on the minds of men besides the Holy Ghost; Satan can produce involuntary impressions. And persons of a weak and impressionable constitution may have strong involuntary affections arising from natural causes alone.
Sign V — That They Come with Texts of Scripture Brought to the Mind
Affections arising on occasion of Scripture coming to mind are no certain sign either way. What evidence is there that the devil cannot bring texts of Scripture to the mind and misapply them? He who carried Christ to a pinnacle of the temple and quoted Scripture to tempt him is not afraid to touch the Scripture and abuse it for his own purposes. He may heap up sweet promises to confirm the false joy of a poor deluded sinner. Nor does the purity of Scripture guarantee the purity of what arises from it — affections may arise on occasion of Scripture without properly coming from Scripture as its genuine fruit. The stony ground hearers had great joy from the word — yet there was no saving religion in it.
Sign VI — That There Is an Appearance of Love in Them
Satan cannot love — but it does not follow that there are no counterfeits of love. The more excellent anything is, the more counterfeits it will have. There are many more counterfeits of gold than of iron. The subtlety of Satan and the deceitfulness of men's hearts are especially exercised in counterfeiting those graces which are in highest repute. Christ himself speaks of professing Christians whose love shall wax cold and fail of salvation (Matt. 24:12–13). The Galatians had great apparent love to Paul — yet Paul feared it had come to nothing (Gal. 4:11, 15). The apostle's phrase “love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity” (Eph. 6:24) shows he was sensible that many had a kind of love to Christ whose love was not pure and spiritual.
Sign VII — That Persons Have Many Kinds of Affections Together
It is no sign of grace that a person has many religious affections accompanying one another. False affections can imitate every kind of gracious affection: sorrow for sin (as in Pharaoh, Saul, and Ahab), fear of God (the Samaritans), gratitude (Israel at the Red Sea, Naaman), spiritual joy (the stony ground hearers), zeal (Jehu, Paul before his conversion). And when one false affection is raised high, it naturally draws others with it. Love, being the chief of the affections and their fountain, if counterfeit will produce a whole company of counterfeit streams. As in the tree, the sap in root and stock determines whether the fruit of every branch is wholesome or deadly.
Sign VIII — That Comforts Follow Awakenings in a Certain Order
It is no certain sign of saving grace that comforts and joys come after terrors and convictions of conscience in what appears to be the proper order. God's manner is indeed to lead men through wilderness before speaking comfortably to them — Scripture is full of this pattern. But for four reasons, no certain conclusion can be drawn from the order alone. First, Satan can counterfeit preparatory convictions as easily as he can counterfeit grace itself. Second, if he can imitate A, B, and C, he can equally place them in order. Third, we have no rule to determine how far God's own Spirit may go in non-saving operations. Fourth, experience abundantly confirms that many who gave fair accounts of their experiences in the right order have not proved well. The Spirit of God is unsearchable and untraceable; we must look to the nature of the effect wrought, not the method of its producing.
Sign IX — That Persons Spend Much Time in the External Duties of Religion
True grace does indeed cause persons to delight in religious exercises — Anna the prophetess departed not from the temple; the primitive Christians continued daily with one accord in the temple; David prayed morning, noon, and evening. But spending much time in religious duties is no sure evidence of grace. The Israelites attended new moons, Sabbaths, and assemblies — and their services were abominable to God (Isa. 1:12–15). The Pharisees made long prayers and fasted twice a week. False religion has driven some to forsake the world entirely and give themselves up to religious contemplation for their whole lives.
Sign X — That They Dispose Persons to Praise and Glorify God
Many regard abundant praising of God as bright evidence of gracious affection. But those who glorified God at the healing of the paralytic, those who cried Hosanna at Jerusalem, those who glorified God at Antioch — all these included great multitudes who were not true believers. Even ungodly Nebuchadnezzar and Darius called upon all nations to praise God in their high affections. A person may extol free grace and cry out of his unworthiness from no higher principle than Saul's when he wept before David.
Sign XI — That Persons Are Exceedingly Confident of Their Good Estate
Full assurance of salvation is indeed attainable and scriptural — Edwards defends this at length. God, Job, David, Hezekiah, Paul, and the apostles all spoke with great assurance. Christ's dying discourse was designed to give his disciples full assurance and joy. The covenant of grace is confirmed with an oath, that the heirs of promise might have strong consolation (Heb. 6:17–18).
But nothing can be certainly argued from great confidence. That violent, overbearing confidence which boasts openly and despises all who question it savours more of the Pharisees than of true assurance. True assurance is maintained only by the soul's being kept in a holy frame; it decays when grace decays. The confidence of hypocrites will not be shaken even by gross sin — which is a sure evidence of delusion.
Sign XII — That Their Outward Manifestations Win the Hearts of the Truly Godly
Even true saints cannot certainly determine who is godly and who is not. They can neither feel nor see the internal exercises of another's heart — only outward manifestations. The Scripture plainly intimates that this way of judging is at best uncertain: “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Nothing hinders but that a graceless person may have many religious affections together — a kind of love to God, love to the brethren, admiration, sorrow for sin, gratitude, joy, longings, and zeal — all coming after apparent awakenings and humiliations, and yet there be nothing more than the common influences of the Spirit joined with the delusions of Satan and the deceitful heart.
It is the mature fruit which must be the test — not the beautiful blossoms. As Edwards closes: “I know of no directions which Christ ever delivered more plainly than the rule he has given us to guide our judging of others' sincerity, viz., that we should judge of the tree chiefly by the fruit.”