John Piper on Sin's Promise

"The power of sin comes from it's promise of pleasure and God means it to be defeated by a superior promise".

John Piper - "A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: Why We Need Jonathan Edwards 300 Years Later" - Session 1 - "A God-Entrance Vision of all Things" Conference - Desiring God - 2003.

Jonathan Edwards on God doing a "New Work"

"Some make their rule to judge of this work by, instead of the Holy Scriptures, is history or former observation ... if there be anything extraordinary in the circumstances of this work, which was not observed in former times, theirs is a rule to reject this work which God has not given them, and they limit God, where He has not limited Himself.

And this is especially unreasonable in this case; for whosever has well weighed the wonderful and mysterious methods of divine wisdom in the carrying on the work of the new creation ... may easily observe that it has all along been God's manner to open new scenes and to bring forth to view things new and wonderful - such as eye has not seen, nor ear heard nor entered into the heart of man or angels - to the astonishment of heaven and earth not only in the revelation he makes of his mind and will, but also in the works of His hand.

As the old creation was carried on through six days and appeared all complete, settled in a state of rest on the seventh; so the new creation which is immensely the greatest and most glorious work, is carried on in a gradual process from the fall of man to the consummation of all things. And as in the progress of the old creation, there were still new things accomplished; new wonders every day in the sight of the angels, the spectators of that work, new scenes were opened, till the whole was finished - so it is in the progress of the new creation.

And we who live in those latter days where in we may be especially warranted to expect that things will be accomplished which it will be said, who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things?".

Jonathan Edwards - "The Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 1" - Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh - (pp369-370).

Jonathan Edwards on Manifestations of the Spirit

"It is a stumbling to some, that religious affections should seem to be so powerful, or that they should be so violent (as they express it) in some persons. They are therefore ready to doubt whether it can be the Spirit of God; or whether this vehemence be not rather a sign of the operation of an evil spirit. But why should such a doubt arise? What is represented in Scripture as more powerful in it's effects than the Spirit of God? Which is called the "power of the Highest" (Luke 1:35) ... So we read of the "demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Corinthians 2:4) ... So the Spirit is represented by a mighty wind, and by fire, things most powerful in their operation".

Jonathan Edwards - "The Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 1" - Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh (1974) - (p368).

Sam Storms on Jonathan Edwards View of the Song of Solomon

"Edward's view of the Song of Solomon is instructive. He adopted an interpretation according to which the bride is not the corporate church but the individual believer. He testifies that no book affected him quite like the Song".

Sam Storms - "Signs of the Spirit - An Interpretation of Jonathan Edward's Religious Affections" - Crossway Books (2007) - (p159).

C J Mahaney on the Song of Solomon

NB: I hardly need mention that I do not quote this because I agree with this statement. I have written extensively about how I disagree with Mahaney's views on the Song of Solomon - as well as a whole host of other Christian theologians including the Puritans. I quote it for a point of reference if anyone is any doubt about what Mahaney is actually teaching. A key point of context can be found when C J Mahaney says: "I'm no scholar" (p154).

"The Song of Solomon. It's about sex ... his "Song of Songs" is nothing less than an explicit and unblushing celebration of sex within marriage ... That's right gentlemen. Solomon's Song of Songs is an entire book of the Bible devoted to the promotion of sexual intimacy within the covenant of marriage. It's an eight chapter feast of unbridled, uninhibited joyous immersion in verbal and physical expressions of passion between a man and a woman ... Spiritualizing the Song of Solomon just doesn't make sense. What's worse, it denies to us the powerful impact that God intends for it to have on our marriage".

C J Mahaney - "Sex, Romance and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know" in "Sex and the Supremacy of Christ" - Piper, John and Taylor, Justin (editors) - Crossway Books (2005) - (pp151-152, 154).

Jonathan Edwards on Exodus 9:21 (the POWER of the Holy Spirit)

"The idol of the children of Israel is ground to powder and the dust of it is cast into this brook, to signify that tis by God's Spirit that God consumes idols and destroys the kingdom of Satan".

Jonathan Edwards - "The Blank Bible" - Yale University Press, Illinois (2006) - (p292).

Jonathan Edwards on Song of Solomon 8:8-12

"Who can doubt whether these four verses are of mystical signification and that therefore this song is designed as a mystical song, and not a mere human love song? What should lead earthly lovers in singing of each other's beauty and love, to take notice of such things as these?

If we suppose the song to be mystical and that 'tis concerning Christ and His Church, a good account can be given of these passages, a very natural interpretation analogous to other Scriptures. By the "little sister" we may suppose is meant the same as the younger brother in the parable of the prodigal and by Solomon's vineyard, the same with Christ's vineyard so often spoken of in Scripture and by the "keepers" the same with the keeper of the vineyard and labourers in the harvest in Christ's parable who partake of the fruit of their labours with Christ".

Jonathan Edwards - "The Blank Bible" - Yale University Press, Illinois (2006) - (p627).

Jonathan Edwards on the Song of Solomon

"In his commentary on Canticles or the Song of Solomon, Edwards joined the long line of expositors who have addressed the question of the nature of the song. He left no ambiguity in his answer. It is "no common love song or epithalamium" - a judgement he also rendered about Psalm 45. On the contrary he asserted Canticles is a "song of love between Christ and the church or the assembly of the saints" who are "spiritual virgins".

Introduction to Jonathan Edwards - "The Blank Bible" - (2006) - Yale University Press, Michigan - (p39).

Jonathan Edwards on Song of Solomon

No 147 - Solomon's Song - "The name by which Solomon calls this song confirms to me that it is more than an ordinary love song and that it was designed for a divine song and of divine authority for we read in 1 Kings 4:32 that Solomon's songs were "a thousand and five". This he called the "Song of songs". That is the most excellent of his songs ... because it was a song of the most excellent subject treating of the love, union and communion between Christ and His spouse of which marriage and conjugal love was but a shadow. These are the most excellent lovers and their love the most excellent love".

Jonathan Edwards - "Notes on Scripture" - Yale University Press, New Haven (1998) - (p92).

Jonathan Edwards on the Song of Solomon

No 86 - Canticles 1:5 - "The people of Kedar it seems used to dwell in tents, in more able habitations and lived by feeding of sheep therefore the Church is very fitly represented by these. It's agreeable to many other representations in Scripture where God's people are called His sheep, His flock and Christ and His ministers are called shepherds and the Church is also compared to a tabernacle or tents. It is fitly compared to moveable tents for here we are pilgrims and strangers and we have no abiding place".

Jonathan Edwards - "Notes on Scripture" - Yale University Press, New Haven (1998) - (p75).

Jonathan Edwards on the Book of Esther

"So it will be by the earnest prayer of the Church that God's people will be delivered from Antichrist and God will extend the golden sceptre of His grace as the king to Esther (5:2)".

Jonathan Edwards - "Notes on Scripture" - Yale University Press, New Haven (1998) - (p62).

Jonathan Edwards on the Book of Esther

"It appears to me very probable that this book of Esther is a history that is a shadow of gospel things and times ... the great feast that Ahasureus made is the gospel feast. Vashti is sent for to this feast to appear before the king (1:11) ... Vashti though she was the king's own wife refused to come for she had a feast of her own. So the Jews though God's perculiar people refused to come to the glorious feast he made through their pride and vanity".

Jonathan Edwards - "Notes on Scripture" - Yale University Press, New Haven (1998) - (p60).

Jonathan Edwards on the Song of Solomon

Number 8 - Canticles 8:1 - 'Oh that thou were as my brother that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee I would kiss thee; yea I should not be despised'. "Which wish of the Church is now accomplished by Christ's incarnation. The Son of God who is infinitely higher than we is come down to us in our nature and has familiarised Himself to us".

Jonathan Edwards - "Notes on Scripture" - Yale University Press, New Haven (1998) - (p50).