Jonathan Edwardsby Simonetta Carr

with Illustrations by Matt Abraxas

REFORMATION HERITAGE BOOKSGrand Rapids, Michigan

Jonathan Edwards© 2014 by Simonetta Carr

Cover artwork by Matt Abraxas: Spider in the hands of a curious Edwards.

For additional artwork by Matt, see pages 9, 17, 21, 23, 29, 31, 35, 43, 45, 47, and 51.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at the following address:

Reformation Heritage Books2965 Leonard St. NEGrand Rapids, MI 49525616-977-0889 / Fax: 616-285-3246e-mail: orders@heritagebooks.orgwebsite: www.heritagebooks.org

Printed in the United States of America14 15 16 17 18 19/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014947274

For additional Reformed literature, request a free book list from Reformation Heritage Books at the above address.

Christian Biographies for Young readers

This series introduces children to im-portant people in the Christian tradition. Parents and schoolteachers alike will welcome the excellent educational value it provides for students, while the quality of the publication and the artwork make each volume a keepsake for generations to come. Furthermore, the books in the series go beyond the simple story of someone’s life by teaching young readers the historical and theological relevance of each character.

availaBle volumes of the seriesJohn Calvin

Augustine of HippoJohn OwenAthanasius

Lady Jane GreyAnselm of Canterbury

John KnoxJonathan Edwards

some antiCipated volumesMarie DurandMartin Luther

…and more

Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 1: An Inquisitive Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 2: Student and Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3: The Great Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 4: Sorrow and Rejection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 5: Missionary to the Natives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 6: The Last Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Time Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Did You Know? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

A Letter from Edwards to His Daughter Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

A map of New England during Jonathan Edwards’s life. You may want to use it to follow his travels.

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AwakeningFirst Great

Many people remember Jonathan Edwards as

the preacher of a scary sermon about a spider

dangling over a fire. In reality, there was much more

than that to his life and thought—so much so that

he is considered one of North America’s brightest

minds. He lived at a time when many people were

seriously questioning long-accepted ideas about the

world, life, and God. His answers to these questions

have left a mark on the way we think today. He is

especially remembered for his important role in

the eventful time of history called the First Great

Awakening.

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Introduction

Jonathan Edwards, portrayed by a later artist (John Ferguson Weir [1841–1926])

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Jonathan Edwards was born in East Windsor,

Connecticut, a small village next to the

Connecticut River, on October 5, 1703. At that

time, the United States of America had not yet

been formed, and Connecticut was still a British

colony ruled by England. Both his father, Timothy,

and his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard,

were pastors. Jonathan’s parents probably hoped

their son would become a pastor too, especially

because he was the only boy in his family. He had

ten sisters, and girls could not become pastors.

Young Jonathan heard his father preach in church and lead family devotions at home. During

the day, his parents taught basic school subjects to their son and daughters as well as to some of

the town’s children. Jonathan’s older sisters often helped him review his lessons. Timothy had

high expectations for his only son, and Jonathan tried hard not to disappoint him.

CHAPTER ONE

An Inquisitive Child

The Loomis Homestead in Windsor, Connecticut, one of the oldest timber-frame houses in America. The oldest part of the

house was built in 1640, so it was standing when Edwards was a child. Edwards’s

home might have looked similar to this.

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Along with school, the family was busy with chores because most modern machines had

not been invented. Also, life was filled with dangers. Many diseases were still without a cure,

and quite a few children died young. The Edwards family must have been very thankful that

all their children grew up healthy.

War was another constant danger. Even though East Windsor was a fairly quiet place,

there were battles all around America, mostly between the English and French colonists, each

backed by their Native American allies. The family prayed daily for safety for themselves and

others, especially in

dangerous times. In

1704, they prayed

several times a day

when relatives who

lived in Deerfield,

Massachussetts, were

captured—and some

killed—by a group

of French and Native

American soldiers

from Canada.

An artist’s view of the Deerfield raid

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religion8

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Probably Jonathan heard his parents

talk about past times when their

grandfathers and other Christians had

come to America from England to

find a place where they could worship

according to their convictions. Initially,

most of them had hoped to found a new

society based on the teachings of the

Bible, but, as time passed, some had lost

interest in that goal and went to church

only because they had to. Like most pastors, Timothy Edwards was concerned and tried to

inspire the people in his church to show that their religion must be more than just words.

Jonathan took his father’s words to heart. When he was nine, he prayed five times a day,

often by himself in the woods. He and his friends also built a shed by an isolated swamp where

they could pray and read the Bible together. After a while, however, he found it difficult to

keep up with such great efforts. Feeling discouraged, he stopped trying for a while.

An artist’s view of the landing of English Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620

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Nine-year-old Jonathan Edwards and his friends built a shed by a swamp where they could pray and read the Bible together.