Thousands of hearts transformed, daily miracles and revelations, an entire town experiencing insuppressible joy at the mention of Jesus's name. Do you think it's impossible? It has happened before and it can happen again. Here, Jonathan Edwards outlines the miraculous events of the Great Awakening. Learn how revival can start in one town and spread like wildfire to an entire country. See how people are convicted of sin and prompted to accept Christ, opening the way for glorious events in their lives. This is not just the history of one revival. It is a powerful account of the Holy Spirit's working in people's lives. Is the Holy Spirit calling you to the same sort of revival in your heart? Learn how you can... Find the source of truth spiritual healing Witness the untapped, life-changing power of the Holy Spirit Walk with confidence, assured of your salvation Surrender all your cares and lean on only God's provision Discern and understand the Spirit's leading As you grow closer to God, anticipate His surprising work in your life.
Throughout the colonial era, New England's only real public spokesmen were the Congregational ministers. One result is that the ideological origins of the American Revolution are nowhere more clearly seen than in the sermons they preached. The New England Soul is the first comprehensive analysis of preaching in New England from the founding of the Puritan colonies to the outbreak of the Revolution. Using a multi-disciplinary approach--including analysis of rhetorical style and concept of identity and community--Stout examines more than two thousand sermons spanning five generations of ministers, including such giants of the pulpit as John Cotton, Thomas Shepard, Increase and Cotton Mather, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Mayhew, and Charles Chauncy. Equally important, however, are the manuscript sermons of many lesser known ministers, which never appeared in print. By integrating the sermons of ordinary ministers with the printed sermons of their more illustrious contemporaries, Stout reconstructs the full import of the colonial sermon as a multi-faceted institution that served both religious and political purposes, and explicated history and society to the New England Puritans for one and a half centuries.
Interpreting the Great Awakening of the 18th century was in large part the work of Jonathan Edwards, whose writings on the subject defined the revival tradition in America. This text demonstrates how Edwards defended the evangelical experience against overheated zealous and rationalistic critics.
A collection of writings from and about New England’s Great Awakening—a spiritual movement that gave rise to American evangelicalism—from the theologian and philosopher who first reported it to the masses Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) is recognized today as a great theologian and philosopher. In his own day Edwards was best known as a leader of what is now known as the Great Awakening: a series of small-town revivals that mushroomed into a movement credited with giving birth to American evangelicalism and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution. In authoritative texts drawn from first editions and manuscript sources, this volume brings together all of Edwards’s essential writings from and about the revivals, including the famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and his vivid Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundreds of Souls, the work that first publicized the awakenings. Characterized by precise logic and powerful imagery, his writing continues to inspire students and spiritual seekers alike. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God Preface Sect. I. A general introductory statement. Sect. II. The manner of conversion various, yet bearing a great analogy. Sect. III. This work further illustrated in particular instances. The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God Mr. Cooper’s Preface to the Reader Sect. I. Negative Signs; or, What are no signs by which we are to judge of a work and especially, What are no evidences that a work is not from the Spirit of God. Sect. II. What are distinguishing scripture evidences of a work of the Spirit of God. Sect. III. Practical inferences. Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion in New England The Preface Part I. Showing the Extraordinary Work Which Has Oflate Been Going on in This Land, Is a Glorious Work of God Sect. I. We should not judge of this work by the supposed causes, but by the effects. Sect. II. We should judge by the rule of Scripture. Sect. III. We should distinguish the good from the bad, and not judge of the whole by a part. Sect. IV. The nature of the work in general. Sect. V. The nature of the work in a particular instance. Sect. VI. This work is very glorious. Part II. Showing the Obligations That All Are Under to Acknowledge, Rejoice in, and Promote This Work; And the Great Danger of the Contrary. Sect. I. The danger of lying still, and keeping long silence, respecting any remarkable work of God. Sect. II. The latter-day glory, is probably to begin in America. Sect. III. The danger of not acknowledging and encouraging, and especially of deriding, this work. Sect. IV. The obligations of rulers, ministers, and all sorts to promote this work. Part III. Showing, in Many Instances, Wherein the Subjects, or Zealous Promoters, of This Work Have Been Injuriously Blamed. Part IV. Showing What Things Are to Be Corrected or Avoided, in Promoting This Work, or in Our Behaviour Under It. Sect. I. One cause of errors attending a great revival of religion, is undiscerned spiritual pride. Sect. II. Another cause of errors in conduct attending a religious revival, is the adoption of wrong principles. Sect. III. A third cause of errors in conduct, is, being ignorant or unobservant of some things, by which the devil has special advantage. Sect. IV. Some particular errors that have risen from several of the preceding causes—Censuring others. Sect. V. Of errors connected with lay-exhorting. Sect. VI. Of errors connected with singing praises to God. Part V. Showing Positively, What Ought to Be Done to Promote This Work. Sect. I. We should endeavour to remove stumbling-blocks. Sect. II. What must be done more directly to advance this work. Sect. III. Of some particulars that concern all in general.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Beginning with the first colonists and continuing down to the present, the dominant narrative of New England Puritanism has maintained that piety and prosperity were enemies, that the rise of commerce delivered a mortal blow to the fervor of the founders, and that later generations of Puritans fell away from their religious heritage as they moved out across the New England landscape. This book offers a new alternative to the prevailing narrative, which has been frequently criticized but heretofore never adequately replaced. The authors argument follows two main strands. First, he shows that commercial development, rather than being detrimental to religion, was necessary to sustain Puritan religious culture. It was costly to establish and maintain a vital Puritan church, for the needs were many, including educated ministers who commanded substantial salaries; public education so that the laity could be immersed in the Bible and devotional literature (substantial expenses in themselves); the building of meeting houses; and the furnishing of communion tables--all and more were required for the maintenance of Puritan piety. Second, the author analyzes how the Puritans gradually developed the evangelical impulse to broadcast the seeds of grace as widely as possible. The spread of Puritan churches throughout most of New England was fostered by the steady devotion of material resources to the maintenance of an intense and demanding religion, a devotion made possible by the belief that money sown to the spirit would reap divine rewards. In 1651, about 20,000 English colonists were settled in some 30 New England towns, each with a newly formed Puritan church. A century later, the population had grown to 350,000, and there were 500 meetinghouses for Puritan churches. This book tells the story of this remarkable century of growth and adaptation through intertwined histories of two Massachusetts churches, one in Boston and one in Westfield, a village on the remote western frontier, from their foundings in the 1660s to the religious revivals of the 1740s. In conclusion, the author argues that the Great Awakening was a product of the continuous cultivation of traditional religion, a cultural achievement built on New Englands economic development, rather than an indictment and rejection of its Puritan heritage.
