Opinion or Sense

In the work, "A Divine and Supernatural Light", Jonathan Edwards chooses at many times to distinguish between having an opinion about something and having a sense of it. He distinguishes that one can have an opinion about something just by knowing that it exists. This knowledge could be completely by hearsay. However, he states that to have a sense of something you must be able to have experienced it and to truly appreciate what it is. An example would be that you could be in the opinion that someone was beautiful because that is what you have heard. However, to have a sense of that person's beauty you must have experienced it and appreciated it. Edwards goes on to say that you can be of the opinion that Christ is holy and gracious just from knowing the word of God. However, to have a true sense of the holiness and grace of Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit.
I found this distinction interesting, especially for the audience that Edwards was preaching to. The Puritans believed that you should constantly be searching your soul for signs of grace and meditating on being prepared. Edwards is preaching that not only do you need to know of the Lord and his holiness, you need to have a sense of Him. So no matter how free of sin you tried to live your life if you were not blessed with the religious insight to have a true sense of the Lord then you were just as bad off as the wretched. Edwards states that those whose minds are polluted by sin are blind to the light of the Lord and are unable to have a sense of him. Surely the elect, though they did not know who they were, would have a sense of the Lord.
Something that distinguishes Edwards from others like Mather and Newton is his abandonment of reason. Mather, though he gives all credit and glory to God, acknowledges the reasonable and speculative features of the light. He references scientists like Newton and discusses the scientific descriptions of light. Edwards, on the other hand, says that though you need reason to function and perceive things, it is the spirit and senses that truly understand things. Edwards goes on to say, "for it is not a thing that belongs to reason, to see the beauty and loveliness of spiritual things; it is not a speculative thing, but depends on the sense of the heart". Edwards ends in saying that though you may gain pleasure in studying these things rationally, it is nothing compared to the joy and pleasure of this divine light shining into your soul.