My blog seems to go through seasons or themes. It is not particuarly because I am choosing to harp about one subject or one aspect, its generally related to what I am studying on my own. What I am being blessed by particularly in those studies, and a habit I have of wanting as a friend some years ago very aptly put, “getting my info out there” as I believe knowledge and learning should not be kept to ourselves, but is for sharing, and perhaps, just perhaps, now and then, one or two of my readers may find some profit from some of these things too.
A few years ago, when still an unbeliever, yet having had the outward call. Jonathan Edwards I couldn’t bear to even think about. I’m not sure why, except I felt sure that he would be far too difficult for me to read with any real understanding, given the cognitive affects of my illness; and I also think I had been influenced by the wordly pictures or portraits we are giving of men like Jonathan Edwards. As a dour, gloomy indivicual, fanatical about faith and religion, who had a habit of keeping breaking into offensive sounding religous speech. How wrong was I! I think I have fallen a little in love with the character and holiness of Jonathan Edwards, and yet given my aversion to him, just a few short years ago, I never planned it or expected to.
But onto the subject in hand. The Blank Bible. Some of you maybe aware of what this is. The video below explains it pretty much. But what a thought! What effort to go to! Though Edwards often was short of paper for taking his notes, he would end up writing side ways on a tiny little blank bit because he had nowhere else or no new paper. So maybe for him, this was also addressing some of that problem he found himself with. And how it has been preserved to bless us too. But, my subject since the weekend has been off and on, about warning against us getting our beliefs or faith second hand. I am not accusing anyone. But I will say before I had real, living faith, I fell down every pit fall that one could think of in trying to get it, and I am anxious to try and prevent others who may have false security, or presumption and on the day of Judgment, God would say, I never knew you, from falling down the same holes that I did, and maybe not even being aware of it themself. I didn’t have the luxury of false security, I always knew deep down, but, it’s still true that I fell down every pitfall I have read about as possible, so I know how easy it is to do. Hence my latest harping. Not to accuse anyone, but merely to provoke people to really and truly examine themselves, and be sure they be in the faith and not under some grand delusion, which experience has told me is all too easy for us to do.
Do you read with a pen or pencil in your hand? If you are reading Calvin’s teachings or some other reformer or puritan, do you take notes about their thoughts? When it comes to practicing doing this with the Scriptures, this is where this trait we can train ourselves too, can be endless in its rewards and paybacks. Because whatever we write down in our notes, or our own “blank Bibles” are our own thoughts, straight from the Scriptures itself. We know that what we have written, is what is in our hearts, not what John Calvin teaches us or following his thoughts blindly. This is one way I believe that we can stretch ourselves and grow in knowledge, godly knowledge, and from the source Itself, by learning increase in grace. BEeause if it comes from our hearts, and not from the thought of John Calvin, then it should not be too hard for us to seek to apply these things in our daily lives. Whatever any of us believe, are what we are, and it also affects all our actions and thoughts. It is our own method of strengthening our faith by a better first hand knowledge of Scripture and it’s teachings; to really know God, to enjoy Christ and delight in what we see for ourselves about him, and that flows from the pen in our hand while we have nothing but our Bible in our laps.
I feel sure that this would give many of us a huge advantage to what we currently have. I have started doing this myself, and I know that what I write down as I pour through the scriptures are my own thoughts, feelings, notions. I would like to have that all too besotted delight in God that Edwards had ultimately. I love Edwards, because he was so holy. Maybe because I see this as the power straight from God to overcome and triumph in my afflictive state, but its also something, that to a greater degree than currently exists, many of us could do with independantly of being in an afflictive state. The church would flourish I believe, if Christians actually knew the Scriptures better than many do. Knew more of God better than many do. And delighted in God, more than many of us do.
Below is a short video from the Jonathan Edwards Centre at Yale university on discovery of this manuscript of Edwards. And This is a link to the Shepherds Scrapbook, who a few years ago, gave his own instructions for making ones own blank Bible in today’s world. I actually simply use a pad and pen, and then type it up immediately afterwards. My disability if left too long, would make my notes illegible to even me if they were not fresh in my mind. But you will have to find a method that works for you. And those of you who do, May God bless you for it!
An aside note on my love of Edwards, and advocating reading some of his works, is unless there is very good reason not to, don’t get the paraphrase versions of Edwards works. The “modern English” or whatever. They apparently lose much in the translation, and are poor imitations. I have cognitive deficits with my illness, let alone my body screaming at me in pain is a great distraction to reading with absorption, or the half a dozen other ways my concentration or brain is affected, and it’s true I will still forget much of what I read, but Edwards is perfectly understandable to me, even so. And I believe he would be to most regular people, unless perhaps they were to have literacy problems.
Turn music off on console below to watch video.
