Weighed Down and Pruned for Fruitfulness
No. 356
During a recent morning walk through my neighborhood, I encountered a sculpture of a tree (left image) that reminded me of an emblem (right image) which I included in Part Two of my book Thunder God, Wonder God (609-10) .
Edwards observes that
Husbandmen are wont to PRUNE their trees after the dead time of winter, a little before the spring, when the time approaches for them to put forth and blossom with new life and rejoicing. So God is wont to wound his saints a little before he revives them, after falls and long seasons of deadness, and to purge them and prepare them for revival and comfort. So he is wont to wound and purge his church, and to lead them into sorrows. He will bring them into the wilderness and speak comfortably to them [Hosea 2:14]. - “Image” no. 172
Pruning, wounding, grinding, beating, baking, and pressing—these are all emblems from daily life found in Edwards’ “Images of Divine Things” notebook. These refining processes call for a patient heart from the saints.
Below is a poem by the English emblem writer George Wither which accompanies the woodcut above. The truths expressed in the poem correspond well with Edwards’ “Image” no. 172 and other related entries.
No Inward Griefe, nor outward Smart, Can overcome a Patient-Heart
George Wither (1588–1667)
Some Trees, when Men oppresse their Aged Heads,
(With waighty Stones) they fructifie the more;
And, when upon some Herbs, the Gard’ner treads,
They thrive and prosper, better then before:
So, when the Kings of Ægypt did oppresse
The Sonnes of Jacob, through their Tyrannies;
Their Numbers, every day, did more encrease,
Till they grew greater then their Enemies.
So, when the Jewes and Gentiles, joyn’d their Powre
The Lord, and his Annoynted, to withstand;
(With raging Furie, lab’ring to devoure
And roote the Gospel, out of ev’ry Land)
The more they rag’d, conspired, and envy’d,
The more they slander’d, scorn’d, and murthered;
The more, the Faithfull, still, were multiply’d:
And, still, the further, their Profession spred.
Yea, so it spred, that quite it overthrew
Ev’n Tyranny it selfe; that, at the last,
The Patience of the Saints, most pow’rfull grew,
And Persecutions force, to ground was cast.
The selfe-same Pow’r, true Patience, yet retaines,
And (though a thousand Suff’rings wound the same)
She still hath Hope enough to ease her paynes;
That Hope, which keepeth off, all Feare and Shame:
For, ’tis not Hunger, Cold, nor Fire, nor Steele,
Nor all the Scornes or Slanders, we can heare,
Nor any Torment, which our Flesh can feele,
That conquers us; but, our owne Trayt’rous Feare.
Where, Honest Mindes, and Patient Hearts, are Mates
They grow victorious, in their Hardest-Fates.
Learn more about Jonathan Edwards’s enchanted, emblematic vision of the world in Thunder God, Wonder God: Exploring the Emblematic Vision of Jonathan Edwards. Foreword by Gerald McDermott.
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Reviews
“Although scholars have long known about Jonathan Edwards’ fascination with signs, symbols, types, and emblems, Robert Boss’s study goes well beyond what others have done before. His wide-ranging comparison of Edwards with other figures of the period, but especially his exhaustive catalog of images (“emblems”) in nature from which Edwards drew deep spiritual meaning, adds significantly to understanding Edwards. The book also suggests how Edwards’ use of emblems could aid contemporary believers in finding more riches in Scripture as well as seeing more of Providence in the natural world.” – MARK A. NOLL, author of The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys
“Rob Boss has done it again. This is a marvelous introduction to Edwards’ typological vision. Enchanting indeed.” – DOUGLAS A. SWEENEY, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
“This is a deeply fascinating book which demonstrates how out of touch we moderns are with Edwards’s God-centered vision of the world. Boss takes us deep into Edwards’s typological and emblematic interpretation of nature, giving us both a rich scholarly study as well as a ‘how to’ manual packed with visuals designed to stir our theological imagination in Edwardsean ways. Many thanks to Rob Boss for pointing us back to Edwards’s God-infused vision of interpreting the natural world!” – ROBERT W. CALDWELL III, Professor of Church History, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Boss’s volume is an important work with which serious scholars of Edwards’s typology and exegesis cannot fail to interact. But beyond the typical Edwardsean specialist, Thunder God, Wonder God will also prove fruitful reading for those who are interested in how Edwards viewed nature as a “God-haunted” place, informed and assisted by his reading of Scripture. Discerning God’s revelation in nature is not only a lively conversation for Christian theologians, but an important theological topic that supports life in the local, Christian church. For this reason, Boss’s volume is a valuable resource for scholars, pastors, and students alike.” – CAMERON SCHWEITZER, Associate Professor of Historical Theology, Gateway Seminary