“And besides the things that have been already mentioned, there arises from this sense of spiritual beauty, all true experimental knowledge of religion: which is of itself, as it were a new world of knowledge. He that sees not the beauty of holiness, knows not what one of the graces of God’s Spirit is; he is destitute of any idea or conception of all gracious exercises of soul, and all holy comforts and delights, and all effects of the saving influences of the Spirit of God on the heart” (Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections, 275).
What is so rampant in our day can be seen by this statement of true Christianity. A person can be very religious and do many moral things but not see any real spiritual beauty. This person may see some beauty in one sense, but that might be the beauty of not going to hell or the beauty of self-righteousness. There is a form of beauty in the Bible and a form of beauty in theology that can be seen by anyone. That is the beauty of how all things fit together along with the beauty of consistency. But people can still miss the true spiritual beauty. We must remind ourselves that spiritual things are the things from the Holy Spirit and how they fit with God’s infinite mutual love of Himself. This is the true beauty of God and it is this that opens up what true experimental religion is. Notice the language of Edwards in this passage. It is from the sense of spiritual beauty that all true experimental knowledge of religion comes. He then goes on to say that the person that does not see the beauty of holiness does not know what one of the graces of God’s Spirit is.
Holiness is thought to be so dreary in our day and is presented as something that will benefit later if we will just labor on in its dreariness in this life. But if we could just once have a glimmer of Divine glory shine in our eyes and give us a taste of true spiritual beauty we would know what the experimental knowledge of religion is and then some idea of the beauty of holiness. On the one hand we live in a day where immorality flourishes, but on the other hand we also live in a day where the spirit of the Pharisees flourishes. The idea that there is a true spiritual beauty and that holiness is a thing of beauty is rather distant. Within religious circles we stress morality, the disciplines, and in some circles doctrine. The beauty of external morality can be self-righteousness; the beauty of the disciplines can be of self-discipline, while the beauty of doctrine can be nothing more than intellectual consistency. There is a beauty of Reformed theology in that it gives a philosophical system that answers so many questions. But unless all of those things have true spiritual beauty, they are deceptive and will lead to the perishing of the soul.
Notice Edwards says that it is from this sense of spiritual beauty that “all true experimental knowledge of religion” arises. He did not say that all experimental knowledge of religion arises from it, but “all true experimental knowledge of religion.” In other words, there are many types and kinds of experimental practices in religion but only one true one. All that we do in the realm of morality, the disciplines, and doctrine must arise from a true spiritual beauty, which arises from God Himself. We can use all of those religious things and still see nothing but the beauty of self in them. We can use the name of God but the only beauty we see is what we think He has done for self. The beauty that we will see, then, is only the beauty of self and what is beneficial to self. “For men will be lovers of self” (II Timothy 3:2) and they will pursue the beauty of self in sin and the beauty of self like the Pharisees unless their eyes are opened to see the beauty and glory of God.
The affections of people can be raised in a form of experimental religion and they think they are holy as they follow the ways of men in forms of holiness. They may love the study of doctrine and be quite orthodox in it all, but they will not have seen the glory of God in it. To be destitute of this, however, regardless of how much doctrine one knows and how outwardly moral one is, and even how much one follows the disciplines, is to be destitute of the grace of God. We simply must wake up to the true concept of God as centered upon Himself and His glory. We must see that He saves sinners to the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:3 -7) rather than the goodness of men. We must also see that He sanctifies sinners by grace and not by their own efforts or morality. This is because God delights in the display of His own beauty and glory that He works in and through hell-deserving sinners rather than in what they can do in their own strength. Reformed theology can be nothing more than a logical system that sets out theology and morality with God as part of the system that feeds unregenerate and self-centered people. Without God being the true center in the beauty of His self-centeredness, Reformed theology is nothing more than a refined form of self-centeredness. Without the true beauty of God at its core, Reformed orthodoxy serves to blind self-centered men to the true glory of God. We must search our hearts.
God Loves... Himself 
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