One of our previous posts was Dr. Michael Haykin in a Q and A session on the topic of Jonathan Edwards (you can read this here). In that session Dr. Haykin was asked the following question,
“Many people have never read Edwards, but after reading this interview, there may be some who want to see what he is all about. Do you have any suggestions of which of Edwards’s writings would be a good place for them to start?”
To which Dr. Haykin replied, “I would begin with his A Faithful Narrative of a Surprising Work of God, the account of the revival in his church in Northampton, Mass., in 1734-1735 (this is found in Banner of Truth’s Jonathan Edwards on Revival). Then, maybe his sermon “Heaven is a World of Love” (this is the last chapter of Charity and Its Fruits). Then, The Religious Affections. And of course, I would recommend “A Sweet Flame!”
We at Reformation Heritage Books would like to take the time in this post to focus on the book that Dr. Haykin stressed would be a great place to start in learning about Jonathan Edwards. A Sweet Flame was written by Dr. Michael Haykin who introduces to the readers the piety and spirituality of Jonathan Edwards. This biographical sketch of Jonathan Edwards done by Dr. Haykin reveals the importance f the New England ministers had on Scripture, family piety, and the church’s reliance upon God. Here Dr. Haykin gives 26 sections of different letters in which Jonathan Edwards had written, letters written from Edwards’s family upon his death, and an appendix drawing upon Edwards’s last will and the inventory of his estate.
This book is only number two of the many books to come in a series, which Dr. Michael Haykin is working on. This series of books will cover profiles in Reformed Spirituality, and are designed to show the piety and spirituality of the Reformed tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of particular Christians with selected passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketch and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the treated person’s contribution to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through works of those people treated in this series. Under the guidance of series editors Dr. Joel R. Beeke and Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin, “Profiles in Reformed Spirituality” promises to provide a valuable primer to our rich Reformed heritage.
Some of the volumes which have already be published are, A Consuming Fire: The Piety of Alexander Whyte, A Sweet Flame: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards, and Devoted to the Service of the Temple: Piety, Persecution, and Ministry in the Writings of Hercules Collins.
Still to come in the series of “Profiles in Reformed Spirituality” are volumes over, Samuel Pierce, Horatius Bonar, Thomas Goodwin, John Owen, John Calvin and George Swinnock.
