During the year of 1735, revival came to Northampton where Jonathan Edwards pastored. Whitefield and others would later hear about the miraculous work God was doing and later that same decade would come to New England which sparked the First Great Awakening. This short book is part of a lengthy sermon series Edwards preached on 1 Corinthians 13 in the spring of 1738. Edwards feared that his beloved Northamptonites were declining in their faith since that initial summer of 1735 when so many came to Christ. The entire sermon series called “Charity and its Fruits,” is also published and this sermon called “Heaven is a World of Love,” remains one of the most popular sermons from that entire series. Edwards emphasized how love or charity is a distinguishing hallmark of true conversion and evidence of regeneration. Evidence of love, or lack thereof, was a test to see whether or not the experience was real and genuine. The backbiting spirit, enviousness, and resentfulness were once again seeking to divide Edwards’ parishioners. Edwards sought to rekindle the ardent zeal and love for Christ that seemed to be waning.

Edwards begins by stating that heaven is a fountain of love because God is love and the very essence of love. “His glorious presence fills heaven with love, as the sun placed in the midst of the heavens in a clear day fills the world with light” (35). Heaven will also be filled with good things, pleasant things, things that believers found delight in and contemplated often. “All the truly great and good, all the pure, holy, and excellent from this world, and it may be from every part of the universe, are constantly tending toward heaven” (44). In heaven, there will be conversation with the deceased, with the patriarchs, and with Christ himself. In heaven, everything will flow from uncorrupted motives. A purity of heart will be everywhere present. Nothing carnal or fleshy will exist.

Perhaps controversial to some, but not to Edwards is the idea of hierarchy in heaven. Though some will have greater capacities for heavenly bliss, none will be envious. There will be a spirit of true Christian love, even more so for those who are above others in glory. “Those that are highest in glory are those that are highest in holiness, and therefore are those that are most beloved by all the saints’ for they most love those that are most holy, and so they will all rejoice in their being most happy” (53). Those less in glory will be no less happy, because they will rejoice in others happiness. A perfect benevolent love governs all, with perfect goodwill and happiness at all times.

The saints in heaven will also know of God’s love for them in an ever increasing way. They will know that “God has loved them from all eternity and still loves them and will continue to love them forever” (58). Edwards closes the sermon with a brief warning to the unconverted and a few exhortations for the converted to strive for greater and greater holiness and to not let one’s heart go after the things of the world as its chief good. “If you would seek heaven, your affections must be taken off from the pleasures of the world” (109).

The language can be difficult to parse through on occasion, but it is well worth the read. ( )

From Daniel Christensen