He spoke boldly against the Halfway Covenant. When his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, died, Jonathan became the minister and served in that church for nearly twenty-four years. In 1727, Edwards became the assistant minister at the Northampton church. Faithfully Sarah helped Edwards in his ministry and personal endeavors. Four years later Jonathan married the remarkable and virtuous Sarah Pierpont. At the young age of thirteen, he entered Yale (not unusual during that era of history) and graduated in 1723. The only son in a family of eleven children, Edwards was born on October 10, 1703. He also wrote many books and pamphlets describing the events he saw in his own church.
From his brilliant mind, he constructed one of the most impressive sermons ever preached. Not a powerful speaker, Edwards still managed to spread the revival. The most prominent theologian of the Great Awakening was Jonathan Edwards. As a result of his preaching and the work of the Spirit, lives began to change and complete towns were transformed. Frequently Edwards asked the congregation to control themselves so he might finish his sermon. A great commotion swept over the people and they began wailing, crying, and screeching loudly. Delivering his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," on July 8, 1741, in Enfield, Connecticut, Edwards helped spread the revival. Revival followed.ĭuring the 1730s, the church in Northampton felt the stirring of the Holy Spirit, moving them from their lukewarm apathy to an awakening of their souls. Gently, Edwards' words began to sink into the hearts of the assembly, and although his method of speaking lacked enthusiasm, his words were powerful. As the brilliant Jonathan Edwards spoke, he kept his eyes focused on the back wall of the church. The preacher's monotone voice filled the church in Northampton, Massachusetts. People from all walks of life, from poor farmers to rich merchants, began experiencing renewal and rebirth. Then, suddenly, the Spirit of God awoke as though from an intense slumber and began to touch the population of the colonies. Sadly, many of the ministers themselves did not know Christ and therefore could not lead their flocks to the true Shepherd. The churches were now attended largely by people who lacked a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Wishing to make it easier to increase church attendance, the religious leaders had instituted the Halfway Covenant, which allowed membership without a public testimony of conversion. Many of the early colonists had come to the new world to enjoy religious freedom, but as the land became tamed and prosperous they no longer relied on God for their daily bread. And, although the most significant years were from 1740-1742, the revival continued until the 1760s. The event that has become known as the Great Awakening actually began years earlier in the 1720s. His book On the Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry caused quite a stir! Tennent believed the deadness of the churches was in part due to so many pastors having never been converted themselves. Presbyterian Gilbert Tennent was heavily influenced by Frelinghuysen and brought revival to his denomination. He preached the need for conversion, a profound, life-changing commitment to Christ, not simply perfunctory participation in religious duties. When Theodore Frelinghuysen, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, came to begin his pastoral world in New Jersey during the 1720's, he was shocked by the deadness of the churches in America. The philosophical rationalism of the Enlightenment was spreading its influence among the educated classes others were preoccupied with the things of this world. The same spiritual malaise could be found throughout the American colonies. The children of the original immigrants were more concerned with increasing wealth and comfortable living than furthering the Kingdom of God. Many of the early Puritans and pilgrims arrived in America with a fervent faith and vision for establishing a godly nation.
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