“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).
Last time I noted the following: “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.” This may seem like an attack on Reformed theology, but it is not. It is an effort to see true God-centered theology returned to its rightful place at the center of all things. In Volume VI of his works, John Owen noted that we cannot simply point out an external sin without taking that sin to the real source of it, which is the heart. If we only point out the external sin and do not go to the real source of the sin, which is the heart, we are not dealing with sin at all (Mortification of Sin, chapter VII). The same thing is true about theology. We cannot just deal with the external doctrine and then expect people to state an intellectual belief in it.
If we are going to see the true beauty of a doctrine we must trace it back to its source of true beauty. We must trace each doctrine back to its source which is the Trinity and the infinite mutual love of the triune God. If we rest satisfied with a doctrine as it sets out some benefit for man we have not moved beyond the self-interest of man which is really the heart of sin. This should show us that we can feed the sinful heart of men with orthodoxy and men continue on in self-centered and prideful ways without a change in heart. There is no beauty in holiness unless it is the beauty of God Himself.
The views that Owen and Edwards had of the experimental nature of Christianity are far different than that of today. That is because they started and ended with God with man being an instrument of God. We tend to see God as an instrument of man’s love for himself. The danger is pointed out by Edwards in the quote above: “He that sees not the beauty of holiness, knows not what one of the graces of God’s Spirit is.” This statement is a shot that should be heard around the world. The beauty of holiness is God Himself in the souls of men displaying His love for Himself in sharing His love for Himself with men. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love and the Holy Spirit does not work any love but a holy love in the hearts of His people. This love must be a love for God which can only come from the source of love and that is the God who is love itself. All of the graces of the Spirit will be from this love and in working that love in the human soul. This ends up with those men admiring the true beauty of holiness.
We can see from this that there is no way that a person who has no idea of the beauty of holiness can share in the graces of God’s Spirit. This would mean that there is no true experimental knowledge of religion in that person’s heart. At this point we must note again that the true experimental knowledge of religion is not the same thing as having true doctrine, though one must have true doctrine to have true experimental religion. The grace of God in the soul is never apart from the truth of His love for Himself, which is the true beauty of Christianity. The true beauty of holiness cannot be apart from what true holiness is within the triune God and apart from what the Spirit works in the souls of human beings. If we don’t love the true beauty of holiness then we are strangers to true holiness. All the grace and graces that the Spirit works in human hearts will always be flowing from the source of true holiness and love which is the very nature and character of God and is how the triune God relates within Himself. How can we have a true experimental knowledge of religion if we are not connected to and so obtaining all we have from the true source of religion itself? All of the gracious influences and actions of the Spirit in the soul will always tend toward love for God because the Spirit can work nothing but love for God as He is holy and lives in the love and holiness of God Himself. True theology, then, must always move human beings from a love for themselves to a true love for God. True theology that has God at its center rather than man will always have the grace of God in true holiness and love at its center. It is this beauty of God in the soul of man that is always moving man to taste of the glory and beauty of God and be His instrument in the world to manifest Himself. After all, that is true love and that is true salvation from sin which consists in pride and self-love as the devil has.
God Loves... Himself 
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