Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The works of Jonathan Edwards ... Volume v.1

Rate this book
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

574 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2015

79 people are currently reading
246 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Edwards

1,589 books522 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards was the most eminent American philosopher-theologian of his time, and a key figure in what has come to be called the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s.

The only son in a family of eleven children, he entered Yale in September, 1716 when he was not yet thirteen and graduated four years later (1720) as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. As a youth, Edwards was unable to accept the Calvinist sovereignty of God. However, in 1721 he came to what he called a "delightful conviction" though meditation on 1 Timothy 1:17. From that point on, Edwards delighted in the sovereignty of God. Edwards later recognized this as his conversion to Christ.

In 1727 he was ordained minister at Northampton and assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. He was a student minister, not a visiting pastor, his rule being thirteen hours of study a day. In the same year, he married Sarah Pierpont, then age seventeen, daughter of Yale founder James Pierpont (1659–1714). In total, Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children.

Stoddard died on February 11th, 1729, leaving to his grandson the difficult task of the sole ministerial charge of one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the colony. Throughout his time in Northampton his preaching brought remarkable religious revivals.

Yet, tensions flamed as Edwards would not continue his grandfather's practice of open communion. Stoddard believed that communion was a "converting ordinance." Surrounding congregations had been convinced of this, and as Edwards became more convinced that this was harmful, his public disagreement with the idea caused his dismissal in 1750.

Edwards then moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians. There, having more time for study and writing, he completed his celebrated work, The Freedom of the Will (1754).

Edwards was elected president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in early 1758. He was a popular choice, for he had been a friend of the College since its inception. He died of fever at the age of fifty-four following experimental inoculation for smallpox and was buried in the President's Lot in the Princeton cemetery beside his son-in-law, Aaron Burr.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
44 (54%)
4 stars
19 (23%)
3 stars
16 (19%)
2 stars
2 (2%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Matthew Bonzon.
155 reviews5 followers
December 21, 2022
Challenging work.
Edwards will “stump” you with his philosophical and theological prowess, and make you want to weep by showing the utter excellency and beauty of Christ. It’s wonderful.
It is truly as if the Lord pulled back the curtains so that we can see Christ as inexplicably pleasurable and infinitely good throughout this book.

The highlights are:
-resolutions
-his diary
-the end for which God created the world
-the nature of true virtue
-religious affections
-the five discourses at the end

If you’re up for a challenge I recommend this. It’ll be edifying.
24 reviews2 followers
July 12, 2009
Reference book that has Edwards' actual sermons and "resolutions" and books. It is in micro-type, and also includes several of his books. Volumes 1 and 2.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.