This volume is about Edwards’ approach to apologetics. It is written in a clear and accessible style, the focus of the work being historically informed theology. As an example of such theology this is a solid contribution to the literature.

Nichols begins by situating Edwards amongst his interpreters. There have been a number of different ‘Edwards’ that have been presented in the secondary literature. Nichols does a workmanlike job of explaining these competing views of Edwards.

In his second chapter, Nichols attempts to show this with respect to revelation. Edwards is as indebted to Augustinian theology in his doctrine of revelation as he is to Lockean philosophy. The key here is the difference between knowledge by acquaintance and by description. Edwards claims that, epistemologically speaking, one must taste and see that the Lord is good to completely comprehend divine things. What matters is spiritual knowledge of the Triune God who reveals himself to humanity in Scripture.

The third chapter deals with Edwards’ concept of the ‘new sense’. This is his understanding of illumination and regeneration. The regenerate soul has a new sense of things, whereby it can perceive God in all things, and see the harmony of creation in a way that an unregenerate soul cannot. In particular, Nichols relates Edwards’ discussion to Calvin’s version of these issues with some interesting parallels.

The following two chapters (the longest in the book) form the heart of Nichols’ thesis. They have to do with Edwards on the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Chapter four deals with the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit, and whether this constitutes knowledge or not. In the course of his discussion, Nichols considers the views of Calvin, Edwards and Alvin Plantinga on this matter. Chapter five continues the discussion of testimony, emphasising the role that Scripture and reason play in Edwards’ thinking. Edwards is committed to the self-authentication of Scripture and the reasonableness of Christian doctrine. Nichols picks this up in an interesting and careful discussion drawing on Thomas Reid’s notion of testimony filtered through Plantinga, and paul Helm’s discussion of Edwards in the ‘Faith Seeking Understanding’ tradition.

In a final chapter, Nichols applies his thinking on Edwards’ apologetics to his homiletics in the belief that Edwards’ sermons are the pre-eminent means by which he sought to convey his apologetic ideas.

Two critical comments: first, at one point Nichols claims that the mechanistic principles of Cartesian dualism or occasionalism limit the role of God and that Edwards rejects these principles (37). In fact Edwards explicitly endorses occasionalism in Original Sin, and substance dualism, the view that human beings are made up of two substances, a body and a spirit/mind, is not the same as occasionalism, the view that God causes all things and continuously creates all things. Edwards’ endorsement of occasionalism is an important issue in his doctrine of sin. Nichols appears to be unaware of this. Second, Nichols claims that Edwards’ apologetics are central to his thinking (177). This is true: the treatises he published during his lifetime all have an apologetic as well as philosophical-theological purpose. But this was one amongst several means to a very particular end. For Edwards everything is subordinated to the absolute glory of God, even the works of God himself. This, it seems to me, is the true centre of Edwards’ thinking, the nexus from which all his other projects and plans arose, including his apologetic concerns.

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