True Christian fortitude consists in strength of mind, through grace, exerted in two things: in ruling and suppressing the evil and unruly passions and affections of the mind; and in steadfastly and freely exerting and following good affections and dispositions, without being hindered by sinful fear or the opposition of enemies.
Though Christian fortitude appears in withstanding and counteracting the enemies that are without us, yet it much more appears in resisting and suppressing the enemies that are within us; because they are our worst and strongest enemies and have greatest advantage against us.
The strength of the good soldier of Jesus Christ appears in nothing more than in steadfastly maintaining the holy calm, meekness, sweetness, and benevolence of his mind, amidst all the storms, injuries, strange behaviour, and surprising acts and events of this evil and unreasonable world.
Jonathan Edwards — The Religious Affections
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This quote comes from Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections, written in 1746 during the First Great Awakening. Edwards wrote the book to help people discern the difference between true spiritual transformation and mere emotional experience. He argues that genuine Christian character always shows itself in the affections of the heart and in the way a person responds to trials. In this section Edwards explains what he means by “Christian fortitude.” He is correcting the idea that courage is loud, aggressive, or merely outward. For Edwards, true fortitude is an inward strength of mind shaped by grace. It shows itself first in the ability to restrain one's own sinful passions and impulses, which he calls the believer's greatest and most dangerous enemies. It also shows itself in the ability to persist in good and godly dispositions without being stopped by fear, opposition, or injury. Edwards says the clearest mark of the Christian soldier is the quiet, steadfast maintenance of calmness, meekness, sweetness, and benevolence even when surrounded by provocation or injustice. His point is that the hardest battles are fought inside the heart, and victory there is the real measure of spiritual strength.
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