Editor’s Note: This continues Rev. Dr. Phil Corr’s contributions on the Life of Jonathan Edwards, America’s first theologian and - by many estimates - still the best. As people in the United Church of Christ discern their future, it may be wise to return to one of the UCC’s unheralded “firsts” - the theological thought of Jonathan Edwards to draw strength, find a renewed identity as reformation Christians, and, most importantly renew our identities as those who delight ourselves through worship and service in the perfections of the Triune God in whom Jonathan Edwards delights .
Jonathan Edwards prepared approximately 1250 sermons. By comparison, I estimate that so far I have prepared approximately 500 sermons. It is possible that–if the Lord wills and the Lord tarries–I might match Edwards’ number before I am through. Of course, that would involve my living well beyond his 55 years.
For many years, Edwards prepared full text messages. By the time he got to the Stockbridge mission he was using outlines. The basement of Yale’s rare book library contains
most of Edwards’ sermons. As I shared in a previous article, I have had the privilege of holding in my hand the original “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
Regrettably, Edwards has been stereotyped by that sermon. There is a widely held belief that he only preached what have come to be called “fire and brimstone” sermons. Nothing could be further from the truth. One such countervailing sermon is entitled “The Excellency of Christ.” Edwards writes, “When the saints get to heaven, they shall not merely see
Christ, and have to do with him as subjects and servants with a glorious and gracious lord and sovereign, but Christ will entertain them as friends and brethren.”
Edwards’ preaching is also linked with the Great Awakening. Marsden writes of Edwards’ “revealing statement on the nature of good preaching. Critics of the awakenings alleged that when people heard many sermons in one week they would not be able to remember
much of what they had heard. Edwards countered, ‘The main benefit that is obtained by preaching is by impression made upon the mind in the time of it, and not by the effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered.’ Preaching, in other words, must first of all touch the affections.”
Edwards gave at least two farewell sermons. One was to his church at Northampton on the occasion of his being forced out because of his firm stand against the Halfway Covenant. Entitled, “A Farewell Sermon Preached at the First Precinct in Northampton, after the People’s Public Rejection of Their Minister… on June 22, 1750,” the main verse was 2 Corinthians 1:14: “As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
We can see Edwards’ basic format by looking at this sermon. After an introduction comes the “Doctrine” section. The opening statement is “Ministers and the people that have been under their care, must meet one another, before Christ’s tribunal, at the day of judgment.” This is followed by points and sub points with copious Scripture quotations.
The sermon concludes with “Application.” Here is the first paragraph: “The improvement I would make of the things which have been observed, is to lead the people here present, who have been under my pastoral care, to some reflections, and to give them some advice
suitable to our present circumstances; relating to what has been lately done in order to our being separated, as to the relation we have heretofore stood in one to another; but expecting to meet each other before the great tribunal at the day of judgment.”
Jonathan Edwards gave a farewell address to his Native American congregation in Stockbridge. It is much shorter in text than the Northampton farewell address. The title is “God’s People Should Remember Them That Have Been Their Ministers.” The verse is
“Remember them that have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, for forever.”
He provides three applications and then six one sentence applications. He also gave a (previously prepared ) “stirrup” sermon as he was on his horse getting ready to ride away.
Backing up to 1739, Edwards preached a series of thirty sermons at the Northampton church. These sermons were based on Isaiah 51:8, “For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be fore
ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.”
The Doctrine statement is “The Work of Redemption is a work that God carries on from the fall of man to the end of the world.” This series has come to be known as The History of
the Work of Redemption. Edwards had hoped to develop this into his magnum opus after he went to Princeton. Sadly it was not to be since he died not long after his arrival there. I do hope to write a separate article on this sermon series.
Some of Edwards’ sermons were published during his life. More were published posthumously in the 1700’s–by Samuel Hopkins and others. Serano Dwight (a great grandson of Edwards) and others published more sermons in the 19th century. The Banner of Truth trust has published a large (with small print) two volume edition of Edwards’ works that contains a number of his sermons. Various others have published some of the sermons.
But far and away the best work done on bringing Edwards’ sermon to light is by the Yale Press volumes and the Jonathan Edwards Project. Yale Press has published five volumes (10, 14, 17, 22, and 25) of his sermons (in addition to volume 9 A History of the Work
of Redemption). Volume 10 covers 1720-1723; 14, 1723-1729; 17, 1730-1733; 22, 1739-1742; 25, 1743-1758.
In addition to providing phenomenal introductions and appendices (such as lists of which sermons [with titles] were preached which year), each volume includes approximately 35 sermons, bringing the total to 200 or a little less. That makes less than one sixth of Edwards’ sermons. While Yale Press has no plans to publish any more sermons, the Jonathan Edwards Project (based at Yale) plans on eventually having all of his sermons on line.
That is something to look forward to!
In the meantime, I encourage you to joyfully explore the sermons of Jonathan Edwards and see how you can bring to bear his Christian insights at the beginning of the third millennium!
Phil Corr’s work on the web can be seen at: haystack06.org and fccofcc.com
