Description: In his new role as pastor of the Northampton church, Jonathan Edwards turned his attention to the political, social, and economic activities of his congregation, shaping his preaching to the day-to-day occurrences in their lives. This volume contains eighteen sermons that Edwards composed in Northampton from the beginning of 1730 through mid-September 1733 -- such classics as God Glorified in Man's Dependence and A Divine and Supernatural Light, along with many previously unpublished works. The selections illuminate Edwards' development as a preacher and theologian. They also provide unique insights into the development of the themes that came to characterize his mature evangelical thinking: the viciousness of the unregenerate life, the importance of evangelical humiliation as a religious exercise, and the necessity of a radical conversion from worldliness to godliness.

The prolific period encompassed by this volume, though outwardly quiet, was crucial to Edwards' maturation. Taking on the responsibilities of his calling -- working with his congregation, finding his voice as a town religious leader, exercising moral and spiritual guidance, consulting with other pastors, and most of all developing a mature preaching style -- Edwards came to see revival as the only solution to the social and moral ills of his time.

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