Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

by Abigail Thornton

The spiritualist, Christian philosopher, and revivalist preacher, Jonathan Edwards is both a proverbial figure in literature predating the American Revolution and the Great Awakening. Born to Puritan roots in East Windsor, Connecticut, Edwards background is mirrored throughout his work as a preacher and Congregationalist theologian. He delivered powerful and raw sermons such as “Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God” which played a critical role in the spiritual revivalist movement of 1741 and he is often credited as one of the first “fire and brimstone” preachers of the colonial era. When looking at the passionate language used in Edwards’s sermons, it is notably one of the first occurrences of American romanticism in literature and shifts away from the Puritan plain style texts of the era. It is Edwards depraved interpretation of spirituality and knowledge of divinity in his sermons that separate him from other well-respected theologians. And although he died a British colonist, Edwards to this day is named one of the greatest American theologians of all time.

In this introduction, we take a brief look at the total depravity in Edwards’s sense of spirituality and writings. The objective is to provide an overview of Edwards’s spiritual interpretation and give the reader the key to a better understanding of Edwards’s preachings. Edwards believed in the total depravity of human beings, inclusive of children and saints, he preached that all men are born infected with the original sin and therefore all men deserve to suffer an eternity in hell. This belief asserts that humans are unable to wholly worship God and are naturally inclined to serve their own interests and desires, and so forth, they will reject His Almighty’s rule. Edwards frequently denounces human beings and compares their likeness to that of an insect in the hand of God; easily cast to Hell. Edwards states, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it…” (Edwards). This deplorable view of humans as being inherently driven towards sin and having thus already committed sin through birth alone is crucial to understanding how Edwards viewed true spirituality, which is to accept and acknowledge that we are all sinners, and why his sermons had a great effect on converting wicked men to Christianity in the First Great Awakening of spiritualism.

We can see how Edwards believed that God owed no natural man the promise of heavenly salvation, and is not obligated to save men from the depths of hell. That men, unconverted or otherwise deemed wicked, cannot do anything in their natural lives to save themselves from God’s wrath should they anger him and not atone for their sins by returning to the path of Christ. Edwards claims, “That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall” (Edwards). In this, it is evident that Edwards fully preached total depravity and that the footing of all humans is poised to slide in due time. That all men are at God’s mercy and should God will their damnation, then it shall be so. To keep this belief in mind when looking at Edwards’s writings is to better understand the position in which Edwards believed humans naturally inherited in relation to God. Edwards speaks of such a thing, “And I think, whoever imagines that he, or anybody else, shall ever see the doctrines of grace effectually maintained against these adversaries, till the truth in this matter be settled, imagines a vain thing” (Edwards). Through this text, it can be interpreted that Edwards believed that there is nothing a man can do to save himself from eternal damnation should he not first become right with God. That any good deed executed or excuse used to expunge a man’s sins is worthless and in vain if a man does not first seek God’s forgiveness and show great humiliation and guilt for his sins.

Edwards uses fervent, forceful even, religious imagery to create deeper feelings of shame and guilt within sinners, or wicked men. Painting powerful convictions of hell and its waiting mouth, such as, “…hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them…” (Edwards). Edwards uses this sort of visceral language to inspire fear and discourage women and men alike from giving in to the siren song of Satan. The desire to give in to this song is again, per Edwards’s belief, a natural inclination humans have from birth which is in itself is irrevocably depraved. And as mentioned before, Edwards emphasizes how the foot of man shall slide in due time, and that the reason mankind has not yet fallen is that, “… is only that God’s appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide.” (Edwards). This idea is continuously reiterated throughout Edwards’s texts and if there is one specific line to use as a lens of interpretation when reading the work of Edwards, it is quite possibly this line. As this line represents the extent to which Edwards’s believed that all women and men are kept within the hand of God, and it is God’s mercy alone that allows them to stand on two feet above Hell’s pit.

In the end, it is Edwards depraved sense of spirituality and passionate descriptions of “fire and brimstone” waiting beneath the unsteady foot of man, throughout his various works that convey his true message to his audience that conversion to Christianity is the only solution to mankind’s natural inclination towards science and sin; both of which in Edwards’s eyes go hand-in-hand. And by first understanding and analyzing the depraved sense of spirituality expressed in Edwards’s sermons, the texts as a whole can be better understood with this brief introduction taken into consideration when reading the works of Jonathan Edwards.

Question:

How might you describe Edwards’s sense of spirituality and what his true message is, to someone who has not read his works? And if you like, draw comparisons between the total depravity expressed in Edwards’s sermons with the texts of other Puritan writers, such as Mary Rowlandson. Then ask yourself if total depravity is interpreted and applied differently by Puritan women and men, as women are perceived as the forbearers to the original sin in Puritan culture.

Works Cited

Edwards, Jonathan. “Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God” (Jul. 1741) Public Domain. Wikisource. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sinners_in_the_Hands_of_an_Angry_God
Accessed 19 Sep. 2021

Works of Jonathan Edwards, “Freedom of the Will” (WJE Online Vol. 1) ed. Paul Ramsey (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1957, 100.) (Jun. 1754), Accessed 1 Dec. 2021

Text included with the permission of the author.

Image: Public Domain