Friday, August 7, 2009

Jonathan Edwards on 'Divine Taste'

In A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections Edwards lists what he considers evidences of truly gracious affections. In the fourth such example he enters into a discussion of 'divine taste'. This divine taste seems to be a spiritual intuition and Edwards suggests that this 'divine taste' by which believers can judge things is what the Bible means when it says "Led by the Spirit of God". I found this section of the book very intriguing and look forward to reading the corresponding chapter in Sam Storms' book Signs of the Spirit.

When a holy and amiable action is suggested to the thoughts of a holy soul, that soul, if in the lively exercise of its spiritual taste, at once sees a beauty in it, and so inclines to it, and closes with it...Now as there is such a kind of taste of the mind as this, which philosophers speak of, whereby persons are guided in their judgment, of the natural beauty, gracefulness, propriety, nobleness, and sublimity of speeches and action, whereby they judge as it were by the glance of the eye, or by inward sensation, and the first impression of the object; so there is likewise such a thing as a divine taste, given and maintained by the Spirit of God, in the hearts of the saints, whereby they are in like manner led and guided in discerning and distinguishing the true spiritual and holy beauty of actions; and that more easily, readily, and accurately, as they have more or less of the Spirit of God dwelling in them. And thus "the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God, in their behaviour in the world."

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