April 9 - Jonathan Edwards

April 9 – Jonathan Edwards

The mid-1700s were a period of great spiritual growth in America as well as Europe. Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John & Charles Wesley all taught of the great love that God has for us and our response to that love.

Jonathan Edwards was an incredibly brilliant man, entering Yale College at the age of 13. When he left there at 18, he returned to Northampton, Massachusetts to co-pastor a church there with his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. At his grandfather’s death, Edwards took the position as lead pastor.

Edwards was a devout Calvinist, a scholar, an author and a man of deep prayer. His grandfather had seen five different periods of great spiritual change during his 60 years in ministry and Jonathan Edwards began praying for that to occur again within the church. He began to preach on changed lives and devotion to God and in 1734, the Holy Spirit fell upon the people of Northampton. The church was filled with people, the town began to transform as nearly everyone came to worship and hear the words of God.

He didn’t preach using emotions, simply the truth of God. Outsiders mocked the response of the congregation, the wailing and physical responses from the people, and though Edwards admitted that it might have been emotionally excessive, he recognized that it was the Holy Spirit moving among the people.

This was the first Great Awakening in America. Itinerant pastors took this message throughout the colonies and invigorated the hearts of the people. This period of time was a precursor to the American Revolution, teaching equality between men rather than the class system of England and stressing the importance of religious freedom.

Edwards’ scholarly interest crossed many boundaries. He believed in the importance of studying so much so that he attempted to dedicate at least thirteen hours/day to that. He wrote essays on natural philosophy, even exploring atomic energy. He was fascinated with Isaac Newton and studied light and optics.

His descendants played a very active role in the development of America throughout the next century both in religious and political venues. One of these was Aaron Bur, the Vice President under Thomas Jefferson. There were at least 13 college presidents that came from his line, 65 professors, and untold numbers of pastors. His writings continue to influence pastors and scholars today.

When he left Northampton, he began to preach to the American Indian and then traversed the States, bringing the message of hope and eternity through Jesus Christ.