Finding Jonathan Edwards in NYC - What grows us for eternal usefulness?

“Resolved to live with all my might, while I do live.” 

This is 1 of 70 resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made; perhaps you’ve read through the other 69. Very motivational considering they were written by a young man in his late teens some of them when living in NYC. He wrote them between 1722-23, and he spent much of that time period pastoring in Manhattan so some of them were penned in his journal at that time. 

I love that his journal says very little about the bustling sights of NYC, and yet it was the big city of the US then just as much as now. Some biographers wonder why Edwards would only recount His glorious devotional life with God rather than the glamorous sites of a bustling city, especially considering he had such a keen intellect and thirst for science. But those who wonder that must not know how brightly the glories of heaven shine upon a soul. The brightest city sight dims to nothing in comparison with the glorious Son of God. When we set our sights on Him, we find all else dull in comparison. 

Let’s find young Edwards in Manhattan. I like this little slice of history. I see Edwards in the window totally enthralled with a sentence of Scripture rather than His toast and eggs. My imagination runs too much. But it is true that this is a tavern on the same spot as in 1722. So, Edwards was here!

But he wouldn’t stay there. This is the secret of Edwards, and all of God’s servants who grow into usefulness in eternal matters. They grow tall because they grow deep. And the growing deep is not seen on the surface. It comes from quality hours on the knees or before an open Bible in secret. That is where God’s glory dawns upon our hearts.

“I very frequently used to retire into a solitary place, on the banks of Hudson’s River, at some distance from the city, for contemplation on divine things and secret converse with God, and had many secret hours there.”

It wasn’t a dislike of NYC. He recalls leaving this way, “As I sailed away, I kept sight of the city as long as I could.” I see young Edwards looking out the back of the boat as the city sights dim from view. Longing for the people he had touched while pastoring here. But his real joy did not lie with relationships or experiences. His real joy came from something much deeper—the God who builds the best cities. 

Edwards has moved on again, to the best city, a heavenly one whose builder and maker is God.