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'An Independent Baptist Church'
Jonathan Edwards The dream of most preachers is to have the proper balance of knowledge and zeal, brain and brawn, faith and works, head and Heart. If there ever was such a preacher it would be Jonathan Edwards. Many theologians and Bible teachers would strike out in a soul-winning ministry; Likewise, many that turn others to righteousness could seldom score a point in defending the faith before others. But Jonathan Edward's combination of reason and passion causes many to believe America never knew a preacher that excelled both areas as Jonathan Edwards did. His story begins with his heritage. His father, Timothy, was pastor of the local congregational church for 64 years. His mother, Esther, was the daughter of Solomon Stoddard, well-known and respected pastor of the church in Northhampton, Mass. for over 50 years. This is the same church Jonathan Edwards would some day pastor. Jonathan was the only boy in the family with 10 sisters! He was the 5th child born to the family. He was raised in a Christian home where mother and father taught him the principles of the Bible from an early age. His mother and father taught him to pray. His first recorded real interest in Spiritual matters occurred at age 10 when there was a revival in his father's church. He and his playmates built a 'prayer booth' down by the swamp near his house. He and his buddies would play church down at this fun place and they would talk about God and spiritual things. Jonathan was home-schooled, and from an early age took an interest in learning. It didn't take long to notice he was a very intelligent lad. At this young age of a boy he wrote his famous essay on the spider, which became a pioneer work in the history of American Natural Science. This essay exhibits his remarkable powers of observation and analysis, two qualities which would later help him prepare sermons which would hold the attention of his listeners with amazing ability. Jonathan entered what would later become Yale University when he was not quite 13 years old. He graduated valedictorian of his class in 1720 at the young age of 17. He would have become one of the great philosophers or politicians of his day if had not such an interest in Religious matters became his passion. Parents, we play a huge role in our children's lives when introduce them to the Bible and Jesus Christ... Have you been a good example of a parent to do this? We often teach our kids about everything else, but often neglect the one thing that is most important! Jonathan Edwards was a hardworker. He would often spend 13 hours in his study and out trying to win people to the Lord.....but he always made time for his family every day.... As busy as he was, Jonathan Edwards spent one hour each night in conversation and instruction with his family. Dads, Can we make the same claim? Parents,
we are all busy, but we can often make time for those things we feel are most
important if we really make an effort. What greater glory could any Christian ask then that his daughter marry a Pastor? Or that his son become a Pastor? How many young men could do great things for God if only they had wives who were willing to follow their husbands in such ministries. Alas, many women want no part of following God's call to ministry, for many other things in this life are too important to them. She proved to be such a good wife, and a mother to the children, that when George Whitefield visited them for revival, he remarked on what an ideal home the Edwards' family had. Parents, one of the most important things we can do for our children, is to let them see mom and dad show affection and love to each other. Too many children just see their parents fight. 11 Children were born to them, 8 daughters and 3 sons, and it is amazing to see how these children turned out. The heritage of this family produced preachers, Statesmen, college presidents, wives of preachers, etc. Raise children right and they will make you proud and end up doing great things for the Lord. Mom and dad, you don't realize the potential those children in front of you have to do great things if we train them to live for the Lord. In that year of 1727 when he was ordained, he joined his grandfather as Associate Pastor. My friend, each of us will have a training period before God calls us to greater things. When Solomon Stoddard died in 1729, Jonathan Edwards became Pastor of the most important church in Massachusetts, except for Boston. For over 20 years, he would have one of the more renown and God-blessed pastorates in history. When Jonathan Edwards became pastor of the church in Northampton, Massachusetts, it had some six hundred members. In 1735 God's blessing on his preaching resulted in a great revival with more than three hundred people saved and added to the church during the next few years. Edwards later spoke of the revival of his home church during these years, "The town seemed to be full of the presence of God. The noise amongst the dry bones waxed louder and louder. The revival struck first of the young people and then of the older folks all over town...the tavern was soon empty. People ended their quarrels they had with other people in town, and ceased backbiting and meddling with other peoples matters."
He soon became in demand as speaker in other area churches when available. Edwards is considered to be one of the men most responsible for the Great Awakening, a spiritual revival that shook the early American Colonies. His famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," was first preached in 1741 at Enfield, Massachusetts. Edwards spoke in a quiet, calm tone, unlike the stormy type. He would stand motionless as he spoke, and didn't even use hand gestures, but inspiration and warmth were felt. He even read his sermons from prepared written manuscripts, but they still held the audience with great power. This is the Holy Spirit's power. On that eventful day of Sunday, July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Conn., Jonathan Edwards preached what is considered one of the most famous sermons ever preached, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". During the previous night, godly women had prayed for a revival and spiritual visitation to the community. Their prayers would be answered the next day. As Jonathan Edwards chose his text of Deut. 32:35 "Their foot shall slide in due time." As Edwards preached, he stood motionless and used no gestures, and read the sermon from the manuscript, rarely even looking up the at the audience! He did not pound the pulpit or shout. His left elbow leaned on the pulpit and his left hand held his notes. Yet the message was so powerful that it caused strong men to hold onto their seats feeling they were sliding into hell. Men shook, some losing their reason. His words would so grip the audience that they felt, should he cease speaking, the doom he pronounced would immediately come upon them. He flashed before people the fiery prospects of eternal damnation as hell was a living reality to him. Yet, unlike Whitefield, and other fiery preachers of his day, he did it with calm tones. So vivid was his imagination that he could graphically picture the eternal torments of the lost. The theme of the message was, "The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked." It is said that grown men and women stood and cried, some got down on the floor, bawling like babies, pleading with the minister and to God for mercy. Some are said to have laid hold on the pillars and braces of the church, apparently feeling that at that very moment their feet were sliding down into hell! Some later said they could actually feel and even smell the flames of hell coming up to the seats where they sat! At one point in the sermon, the cries of the people drowned out the preacher, and he had to pause some time before resuming. A minister sitting on the platform pulled at the preacher's coattails and said, "Mr. Edwards! Mr. Edwards! Is not God also a God of mercy!" Here is an excerpt from the sermon, "His wrath towards you burns like fire. He looks upon as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire. He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight. You are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; an yet, it is nothing but His hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment....O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in! It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you as against any of the damned in Hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready any minute to singe it and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment." Through the night, Enfield was like a beleaguered city. In almost every house, men and women could be heard crying out for God to save them. Before it was all over 500 were save din the community that day. Someone has said about that sermon, "New England might forgive it, but she could never forget it." One notable lady was saved who had a notorious past and reputation, and this led to more revival! My friend, don't you yearn for this type of revival to occur in our area, yes in our nation, once again? Edwards continued to preach powerfully, but alas, the devil has his people in every congregation to oppose the Godly preacher! The former pastor, Solomon Stoddard, his grandfather, had instituted the practice of admitting baptized people who had never been saved into membership of the church and to participate in the Lord's Supper. This practice back then was known as 'halfway covenant' and Edwards knew the Bible taught no such thing. This meant if your parents and grandparents were 'in the faith' you could participate in the Lord's Supper. People then considered themselves Christians, with the Lord's Supper becoming the saving ordinance. In essence, this was filling the church with unsaved people. We still have churches today who do this 'Covenant baptism' of babies and children. Warren Wiersbe has rightly said, "An unconverted ministry and an unconverted membership are the devil's chief weapons to oppose the work of God". My friend, just because people oppose you and threaten to leave your ministry does not always mean that you are in the wrong! In 1749, the matter came to a head, and Edwards declared to his congregation that from now on, he would no longer allow people into membership of the church without some testimony of the salvation, and insisted only saved people participate in the Lord's Supper and Baptism. The
preacher and the 'powers that be' were on a collision course. One of the
unnamed rules in many churches is "We never done it that way before". It was in 1750 in Northampton in his home church, the scene of so many successes, that Jonathan Edwards received his most crushing defeat. He was voted out by his church by a vote of 230 to 23. This nearly broke his heart. But God had a purpose, for during these next years he wrote some of his most famous works, which have helped many people down thru the years. He would not have had the time to do this with a busy ministry in the pastorate. My friend, God knows best why He allows things to happen the way He does. Let us not get discouraged when God is in control. He will explain it in the by and by. We may feel we have failed in the sight of men, but remember, it is God who is keeping score! He spent the next seven years as a missionary to the Indians at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The salary was greatly reduced for the Pastor and family, but God somehow provided. In 1758 he accepted the presidency of the College of New Jersey (now called Princeton). After just weeks on the job, he died from smallpox brought on by an inoculation to protect him from the disease. His daughter Jerusha was engaged to David Brainerd when he died of tuberculosis. Edwards' two most famous literary works are The Life and Diary of David Brainerd (1749) and Freedom of the Will (1754). Edwards is buried in Princeton, New Jersey. Jonathan Edwards only lived 54 years and 5 months, but he accomplished more in that short life than most people do in a full life. One of his famous sayings was, "Trust in God and ye need not fear." My friend, have you made a difference with your life? Have you determined to put God first, and have you determined to bring your children up in church and in the things of the Lord? You will not regret it. Jonathan Edwards is an example why. He, like Jesus, was not treated right by the people he cared for so much, but he now has his reward in heaven!
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