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During these years, Edwards intensely considered his spiritual state and devised ways he could improve himself as a Christian. The resulting list of resolutions reminded him to dwell each day on his own death and eternal destiny and to bring his every emotion, thought, and action in line with the Word of God:

"48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of."

Though I sometimes find the Puritans scary in their spiritual intensity and wonder if their strict practices sometimes erred on the side of works-righteousness, I always find this list of Edwards's not only challenging but inspiring. I am sure that, like New Years resolution-makers throughout history, he often failed to come up to the grand aspirations enshrined in these resolutions. But I also suspect he benefited greatly from the exercise of writing them and trying to live by them.

To read Edwards's full list of resolutions, click here.

A footnote: three "fresh starts"

January 1 has always been a day for "new things." Here are three in the annals of Christian history:

On this day in 1855, a fresh-faced group of ministerial hopefuls entered their first class at Garrett Theological Seminary (not far from our offices here at CH, in Evanston, Illinois). The seminary was endowed by Eliza Garrett, widow of a mayor of Chicago.

111 years later, in 1966, Pope Paul VI issued a ringing call to the U.S., Soviet Russia, Communist China, and North and South Vietnam to work towards a peaceful resolution in Vietnam.

11 years later, on Jan. 1, 1977, the first woman Episcopal priest, Jacqueline Means, was ordained at All Saints Church, Indianapolis.

The historical information in this article has been adapted from Sue Ellen Thompson's Holiday Symbols (Omnigraphics, 2000) and the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd edition).

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian History magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Christian History.

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