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Great Awakening
series of religious revivals that swept over the American colonies about the middle of the 18th cent. Beginning in the 1720s, Theodorus Frelinghuysen and Gilbert TENNENT made local stirrings in New Jersey. In New England the movement was started (1734) by Jonathan EDWARDS. It was spread by a tour (1739-41) of George WHITEFIELD and reached the South with the preaching (1748-59) of Samuel Davies. The Great Awakening led to bitter doctrinal disputes, but it also resulted in missionary work among Native Americans and in the founding of new educational institutions. It encouraged a democratic spirit in religion.

Tennent, Gilbert
1703-64, Presbyterian clergyman in colonial America, leading preacher of the GREAT AWAKENING; b. Ireland. As pastor at New Brunswick, N.J., he became (1826) a leader of a revival movement among the Presbyterians and was a friend of George WHITEFIELD. His father, William Tennent, 1673-1745, b. Ireland, was also a Presbyterian clergyman in America and established (after 1726) the famous Log College at Neshaminy, Pa., which was the predecessor of many schools, including Princeton Univ.

Edwards, Jonathan
1703-58, American theologian and metaphysician; b. Windsor, Conn. In 1729 he took sole charge of a congregation in Northampton, Mass., where he soon gained a wide following by his forceful preaching and powerful logic in support of Calvinist doctrine. A revival that he held (1734-35) effectively brought the GREAT AWAKENING to New England. His stern demands for strict orthodoxy and his inflexibility in a membership controversy resulted in his dismissal (1750) from Northampton. At Stockbridge, Mass., he completed his masterpiece, The Freedom of the Will (1754), which set forth metaphysical and ethical arguments for determinism. He is often regarded as the last great New England Calvinist, and his sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is still read today. Called (1757) to be president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton Univ.), he died soon after.

Whitefield, George
1714-70, English evangelistic preacher, leader of the Calvinistic Methodist church. At Oxford he joined the Methodist group led by John and Charles WESLEY. Beginning in 1738 he made seven trips to America, where he was influential in the GREAT AWAKENING. After becoming an Anglican priest, he adopted (c.1741) Calvinistic views, especially concerning predestination. He broke with the Wesleys and led the Calvinistic Methodists, who were numerous in Wales. Whitefield continued to draw great throngs on his evangelistic tours. He died in Newburyport, Mass.

Some of the Leaders of the Awakening in more detail:

George Whitefield lived from 1714 to 1770. In his adult life he was as famous as any man in the Englishspeaking world. From 22 years of age he was the foremost figure in a religious movement that held the attention of the entire Englishspeaking world, called the Great Awakening. Perhaps only the Reformation or even the apostolic age itself could surpass the spiritual fervor God poured out at that time. George Whitefield preached in England, Scotland, Wales, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and the American colonies. All the preachers of this era were men of doctrine, and men of fervor who strove to give their lives 100% to Christ Jesus. May Jesus raise up such leaders again.

To understand Whitefield, we must think about the spiritual and moral conditions in England before the revival. In 1730's and 1740's England was foul with corruption and crippled by spiritual decay. The ruling class were primarily deists, it they were religious at all. The church in England was the Church of England. The preaching from the pulpit at that time was quite cold, and the primary concern was that noone should show any sign of being "enthusiastic" about religion. Meanwhile, public behavior had become so outrageous in England that importing liquor was banned (1689). The result was the gin craze, where everyone made their own liquor. The effect, according to the Bishop of London, was that gin made the English people what they never were before, cruel and inhuman. In those days, the rich got richer, and the poor got poorer. Street children and the insane were cruelly treated, the London Mafia thrived, gambling was everywhere, and stage productions were obscene even by today's standards. The point is that a Great Awakening was just as improbable then, as it may seem today. That is why we must study it. The only solace for Christians in that era was in the formation of small private societies. The Church had sanctioned and even encouraged their formation, and by 1730 nearly one hundred existed in London, and a hundred more scattered throughout England. Societies didn't actually do much. But their very existence at such a time was meaningful, for they would be the cradle of the Great Awakening.

But at the very time when revival seemed impossible, all of England was stilled by the voice of preacher barely 22 years old, George Whitefield. He began to speak from the pulpit with fervor and power. And soon, no church could hold the multitude that flocked to hear him. No one could preach or even sound like Whitefield. His voice was like a trumpet, which could be muted or played to its full power. It was excellent in melody and range, and his messages were emphasized with graceful gestures. The voice of George Whitefield also had phenomenal carrying power. One author simply concluded, he preaches like a lion.

The voice of John Whitefield was soon joined by John and Charles Wesley, and many others. Starting with Whitefield, a tremendous chorus of praise and preaching rang throughout the land, and was sustained for at least fifty years. The revival changed the entire temper of English society. The church was restored to life and activity. The people had a fresh zeal which purified their literature and their manners. A new social philosophy was born, whereby prisons were reformed and education became available to all people. Whether our UBF ministry is the equivalent of the long suffering societies which laid the groundwork, or whether God will use some of our many members to become preachers like Whitefield, Wesley, or Edwards, we cannot say. But we can say that where ever God's people earnestly meet together, God is there, and God is ready to powerful move. May God grant us hope through this Symposium that a great revival may burst out among the American people, starting with the young servants he has raised up on college campuses at any time.

I. The Boy of the Bell

Although a number of George Whitefield's relatives had gone to Oxford and become members of the clergy; his grandfather was a businessman, and his father was proprietor of the Bell Inn in Gloucester. It was the largest and finest establishment in town, and its main hall had two auditoriums, one of which was used to stage plays. But when he was only two tragedy struck this young prosperous family, George's father died. For the next few years his mom ran the business alone, with the help of her eldest son. For the first sixteen years of his life, George must have seen both the frivolous and the terrible side of life at the Bell Inn. While the other children worked, George's mother saw his ability and made sure he attended school from the age of 12 in the local parish. He was a gifted speaker, had a great memory, and often acted in the school plays. By 16 he was proficient in Latin and could read new Testament Greek.

When George was 8 years of age his mother remarried. The marriage was tragic, and the inn was almost lost due to financial difficulties. At age 15 George had to drop his studies and worked for a year and a half to help support the family. It seemed tragic, but it was a good experience for George to experience real life. He learned to associate with people from all ranks of society, as poured liquor for them and cleaned up after them. George worked by day and at night he read the Bible and dreamed of going to Oxford. In time this husband left, and his older brother took back control of the inn. But there was no longer any money to send George to college with. For a time he and his mother were heartbroken. But over time they learned that he could go to Oxford as a "servitor," and at age 17 he left for the University with great eagerness.

II. Oxford.

In America, the Puritan era had passed and religious fervor died down, some would say it had fallen asleep. But from just this time to the Revolutionary War itself came the Great Awakening. It began with Jonathan Edwards. He was a preacher in the Puritan mold from Massachusetts. He was the most learned and respected theologian America had yet produced. He was brilliant in mind, but his sermons were reserved and dry. In 1734 he began to preach against the popular notion that man by his own effort could accomplish the purposes of God. Edwards taught that all we accomplish is by God's grace. And with this simple Biblical message, a revival began that surprised even Edwards. Within a year a great revival was spreading through out the towns of Massachusetts

In 1732, two years before the Massachusetts revival began, a young English lad named George Whitefield entered Oxford University. Whitefield was extremely devout, and he busily visited prisoners and poorhouses, with a mind to earn God's approval. As a "servitor" he lived as a butler and maid to 3 or 4 highly placed students. He would wash their clothes, shine their shoes, and do their homework. A servitor lived on whatever scraps of clothing or money they gave him. He had to wear a special gown and it was forbidden for students of a high rank to speak to him. Most servitors left rather than endure the humiliation.

Initially, other students tried initially to get George to join their party life, but he resisted, and they soon left him alone. Whitefield plunged ahead in his studies, but he longed for some spiritual fellowship. His mates at Pembroke College had begun to call Whitefield a "Methodist," which was the derogatory word they used to describe members of the Holy Club. The Holy Club was a small meeting at of Oxford students led by a University fellow named John Wesley. To other students their disciplined way of life looked foolish, and the word "Methodist" implied that they lived by a mindless method, like windup robots. George actually had never met them, and being a servitor he couldn't introduce himself to them. But Charles Wesley heard of this devout and industrious student, and breaking traditional boundaries approached George and invited him to breakfast. The friendships made among the 1011 core members of the Holy Club and the 1011 casual associates were the most important friendships for all of them throughout their life. This teaches us that our college friendships, under the sovereignty of God, are indeed wonderfully used by Him to encourage us throughout our lives.

The Holy Club members rose early, had lengthy devotions, strove for selfdiscipline, insuring there was no moment left throughout the day that was wasted. At night they kept a journal to review their life and to root out sin. They celebrated the Eucharist on Sunday, fasted Wednesday and Friday, and used Saturday as a Sabbath to prepare for the Lord's feast. The Holy Club was strongly devoted to the Church of England and knew its history and rules better anyone. They also visited the prisons and poor houses, and contributed to a relief fund for the needs of inmates and especially their children. The Holy Club also took great pains to shepherd younger students, teaching them to avoid bad characters and encouraging them to live a sober and studious life, even helping them when they got stuck in their studies.

The Holy Club was great, but they had a problem, theirs was a worksbased righteousness. All their work brought them little joy because the nature of their salvation was still a distant mystery. In short they had not experienced or learned of the true grace of God present in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whitefield became aware of his inner yearning to know God more and more, but did not know where to turn. He read voraciously, and chanced upon a book written long ago by an obscure Scot, the Rev. Henry Scougal, entitled "The Life of God in the Soul of Man." From this book he learned that all his good things, which he thought earned him God's favor, were of no account at all. What he needed was to have Christ formed "within" him that is to be born again.

Scougal taught that Christianity is not about external duties to perform, nor is it an emotion or feeling one has. Scougal defined true religion as the union of the soul with God a participation in the divine nature, living according to image of God drawn upon our soul, or in the apostle's phrase, it is to have "Christ formed within us." From his teaching was learn what an amazing thing it is that God wants to dwell in our heart and do his work through us. What an amazing grace it is, that it is possible for the life of God to dwell in the soul of man.

This wonderful book, however, drove Whitefield crazy. It was because he did not know how to be born again. So he tried to do so with all his efforts. He stopped eating certain foods and gave the money saved to the poor, he wore only a patched gown and dirty shoes, he would spend all night in fervent sweaty prayer, and he would speak to noone. To deny himself he quit the only thing he enjoyed, the Holy Club. His studies faltered and he was threatened with expulsion. He became subject to strange and terrible emotions and students threw dirt at him, concluding he was mad. At Lent in 1735 Whitefield decided to eat only a little bread and sage tea. He prayed outdoors even on the iciest mornings until part of one of hands turned black. Finally he was so sick, emaciated, and weak, he could not even climb the stairs to leave his room. Finally a physician was sent for and he was confined to bed for 7 weeks.

Amazingly, it was during this time of rest and recuperation where he was finally changed. He kept simple devotions as his strength allowed. He began to pray simply, and dropped all of his own ideas and efforts and began to really listen to God. At one point he simply threw himself on the bed and cried out, "I thirst!" It was perhaps the first time he had called out to God in utter helplessness. And it was the first time in over a year that he felt happy. At this moment of total surrender to Almighty God a new thought now came to his heart, "George, you have what you asked! You ceased to struggle and simply believed and you are born again!" It was so simple, almost absurdly simple, to be saved by such a simple prayer that it made Whitefield laugh. And as soon as he laughed the floodgates of heaven burst and he felt "Joyjoy unspeakablejoy that's full of, big with glory!" He still looked like a sickly college boy, but the career of the greatest evangelist of the 18th century had begun. He returned home for 9 months to recuperate, but in his heart was one desire: to share the Good News that Jesus Christ had come for sinners, and that all a sinner needed to do was to repent, accept Jesus' atoning death, and spiritually throw himself into God's hands.

At home in Gloucester Whitefield kept to the scheduled life of the Holy Club but it now had a new meaning. Not to win God's favor or to be righteous, but to focus him and the time he spent on serving God. In recuperation he was very diligent to do his Daily Bread. He would read a passage of the Bible in English, then in Greek, and then read Matthew Henry's commentary. He would pray over each line he read out of these three books until he received it and understood it and it became a part of him. He even founded a small society which met nightly. The Bishop of Gloucester took notice of this exceptional young man and offered to ordain him as soon as the orders came. But Whitefield was afraid of being ordained too young and growing proud. So he made a Jacob's vow that he would be ordained if, by some miracle, money was supplied for him to return to Oxford and graduate. Soon money did come in drop by drop. An old vicar asked him to preach, and enjoyed the sermon so much he gave him a pound. Another of his brothers had become a seacaptain and returned to port, and gave him some money. Another gave him a horse, another some clothes. Then news came from Oxford that the Wesley's had gone to Georgia as missionaries, and someone was needed to lead the Holy Club. So Whitefield returned, graduated, and was ordained. He tried to live quietly at Oxford for a while. His one word was that each student there was indeed a legion, but that in converting one, the equivalent of a whole town was converted. But there was a problem. From the time he opened his mouth to give his first sermon, everyone wanted to hear more. The four weeks he had spent giving inaugural messages in Gloucester, Bristol, and Bath had caused a small revival already, and near the end of that short time, the churches were packed full, and the streets were mobbed with people trying to get in. He was only 22.

III. A Lion Begins To Roar

At Oxford, Whitefield studied for a Master's degree and presided over the Holy Club. But soon many former members of the Club invited him to come and speak. Then many of the religious societies began to invite him to come and speak, his hand was set to the plow, and there was no turning back. At this time Whitefield was struggling with another question, whether or not to follow the Wesley's example and be a missionary to Georgia. He had received a good offer to preach in London. He struggled to accept and live a nice life, or to suffer hardship in an American Colony. In that day going to Georgia was equal to going to the Amazon for us. As he was considering it, a letter of appeal from John Wesley. Wesley wrote of adults from the farthest parts of Europe and Asia and the inmost kingdoms of Africa; not to mention the countless native nations present, who were a vast multitude without a shepherd, begging for spiritual help. Whitefield was resolved to go, but had to wait a year until the next ship was ready to set sail for Georgia. It was during this year that Whitefield startled the nation awake.

He returned to Gloucester and preached twice each Sunday, and thousands began to flock to hear him. At Bristol he preached each day of the week, and for the 4 weeks he was there the people nearly rioted to see him. His sermons were fresh and full of spiritual joy. He spent much of his day giving advice to those who as he called it, had become "awakened souls." Whitefield also received donations and began to make a large offering for the settlers, especially the poor in Georgia. His messages were simple, direct, and taught the basic doctrines of being born again or being justified by faith. But to people who had not heard this clearly explained before, it was like a lightning shock to the heart. He was declaring not his message but God's, "Ye must be born again." On days he did not preach he was still busy for 7 a.m. to midnight with those who sought his prayer or guidance.

And as soon a his preaching became nationally recognized, some in the Church began to persecute him as an "enthusiast." The Church of England was comfortable with the message that if you are good quiet, and show up to church you are saved. Whitefield was not, and disturbed the church even more through his prayer that the preachers themselves might be born again.

Just prior to his departure for Georgia, Charles Wesley returned and declared, "the whole nation is in an uproar." Another said, "All London and the whole nation ring of the great things of God done by his ministry." But at this very time, when thousands flocked after him, George Whitefield set sail for America.

IV. A Missionary Life.

Whitefield made seven trips to America, lasting from half a year to four years. Much of Whitefield reputation rests on the sensation he created in the colonies during his second journey, where he along with Edwards and Gilbert Tennant, served the Great Awakening at its peak.

The Wesleys fared poorly in Georgia. Perhaps they were to refined to endure pioneering life. But Whitefield, who knew real life very well from his childhood at the inn, thrived. The large audiences in England allowed him to bring many provisions, medicines, and foods with him. His work to distribute them to the poor, and especially to help the orphaned children made a lasting impression on the colony. Georgia was only five years old, and many of the settlers were debtors released for prisons. They were a poor class of settler with no education, no knowledge of farming, and poor health. Many thought the colony would fail. But Whitefield believed otherwise. He brought two teachers with him to establish a school, and urged others to be raised as well. Mission life was a great blessing, but he soon he returned to England. hearing of the controversies which raged about his ministry while he was gone, he felt like Daniel heading for the lion's den.

On his Whitefield found that 5 churches in London were now closed to him. Yet, 4 churches in London kept their doors open to him, and so he returned to his demanding preaching schedule. He spoke at a number of societies each day, in addition to service throughout the week and on Sunday in churches he visited or was invited to. In England the revival he had ignited in the Bristol and Gloucester area continued, and at this time even those in the nobility invited GW to hear his messages. But whether he preached to commoners or in private audiences in the exclusive drawing rooms of England his message was the same. And at the top of society, the results were mixed. Many lords and ladies believed, while others took offense at the suggestion that they were sinners who needed to repent.

As the revival grew beyond imagination, more and more churches began to be closed to him. Whitefield then began to entertain a new idea, that of preaching in the open fields. He knew it would provoke a strong reaction against him, but he wanted to be free of depending on a church or society room being available. In Feb 1789, Whitefield deliberately set out for Kingswood, near Bristol. At Kingswood there was no parish or school. The district was home to thousands of coal miners, who existed in deplorable conditions. Men, women, and children worked long hours in the dark earth amidst death and disease. They were famous for being vicious to strangers and occasionally went pillaging and terrorizing the nearby town of Bristol, only to return to their seclusion and grime. Whitefield saw them a sheep without a shepherd. Field preaching was allowable by the church when no building was available, and another clergyman before him had indeed taught the miners in the open air. Whitefield was resolved to try. In February it was freezing cold, but when he went through he settlements and huts, he found 200 people willing to come and hear him. Whitefield spoke graphically about how much Jesus loved them and how in cruel crucifixion he died for them, just to save them from their sins. And as he preached Jesus love and salvation to them, he began to notice pale streaks on the blackened faces of a few miners. Soon all of their dark faces were streaked with white gutters formed by tears as the gospel of Jesus convicted all of them one by one. Three days later GW was summoned before the chancellor of the dioceses who forbade him to preach in Bristol again. The next day he preached at the coal mine and this time 2000 were listening. The next Sunday their were 10,000, and by this time the townspeople began to far outnumber the coal miners. And on Sunday March 25, 1739, the crowd was estimated at 23,000. The Great Awakening could now grow an exponential leap. Through the unorthodox and controversial approach of preaching in the open, there seemed no limit.

At Bristol, Whitefield began a young people's meeting. It started with 50 people in his sister's house. But within 6 weeks time, this meeting filled a nearby bowlinggreen with 5,000 people. All told there were about 30,000 people who came to hear him in open spaces around Bristol each week. Whitefield was perplexed about how to shepherd them while he prepared to leave for his second missionary journey to America. It was then that he finally was able to prevail on John Wesley to leave the society rooms and enter into the openair. Later he did the same with Charles Wesley. In this way shepherds for the thousands raised up where provided, and the Wesleys were set at the head of England's greatest revival.

Whitefield preached all over England that summer. It is estimated that he preached to over two million people that summer. His bold fieldpreaching had shaken for good the weak and timid Christianity of the times. In August 1739 he finally set sail for America. On his arrival in Philadelphia the paper proclaimed the George Whitefield had preached to more people than any other man alive, probably more than any other man in history. Yet he left his general's position in England, and came to the colonies, because he had a burden for them and a prayer, that they may not live as thirteen scattered colonies, but as one nation under God.

As Whitefield arrived in America, a number of regional revivals were under way. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania William Tennant and his four sons preached the new birth to Presbyterians. Tennant was fed up with the resistance of Yale and Harvard Administrators to the new evangelical fervor, and he founded his own school to train preachers. Derisively his school was called, "log college," but it would lead to the formation of Princeton University. In New Jersey Theodore Frelinghuysen spread revival throughout the Dutch Reformed Church. In Virginian there was the minister and hymn writer Sam Davies. In the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey, the missionary David Brainerd spread the word to native Americans on horseback. They all served wonderfully within geographic or denominational boundaries, but it was Whitefield that God would use to tie them all together. When revival in Jonathan Edwards congregation died down he invited George Whitefield to speak, and he himself was moved to tears. Edward's wife Sarah wrote, "It is wonderful to see how he casts a spell over the audience by proclaiming the simplest truths of the Bible..." In PhiladelphiaWilliam Tennant welcomed him warmly. Whitefield preached from the courthouse steps to streets that were packed with 78,000 people. In Philadelphia Whitefield became friends with an famous agnostic named Benjamin Franklin. Franklin loved to hear him speak, he wrote about him with glowing praise, and became his American publisher. Franklin was amazed at the carrying power of his voice, and calculating how far it traveled, estimated that in an open space, as many as 30,000 people could hear his voice. He was thus convinced of the legendary crowds who had gathered in England could indeed hear him.

GW followed a punishing schedule, and never let up for an instant. He was either traveling somewhere to preach or actually preaching. Few realized at first what God was doing through GW, but his endless travel was spiritually uniting the nation spiritually as community after community were moved by his sermons. Whitefield preached to Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Catholics, Quakers, and Moravians. He was the first man to so clearly cut across all denomination barriers by preaching the simple truth of the gospel. America had been populated by numerous sect, each trying to live a purer life to the Lord, than did their parent church. GW seemed to be reversing this trend, and huge crowds gathered to hear him from Providence to Baltimore. Many people were gathering together and discovering their common joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Soon the regional mentality of Europe and the sectarian spirit that brought them to America was uniting them in a common experience of faith.

George Whitefield died in 1770, just a few months after British troops had opened fire on a mob in Boston, killing five, in what would become known as the Boston Massacre. But even as his health was failing, the crowds who came to hear him were larger than ever. His last message was preached on Exter Green in New Hampshire. Whitefield preached about the incomparable excellencies of Christ, all the while he seemed to look straight into heaven. Finally he cried out, "I go! I go to rest prepared. My sun has arisen and by the aid of heaven has given light to many. It is now about to set... No! It is about to rise to the zenith of immortal glory.... O thought divine! I shall soon be in a world where time, age, pain, and sorrow are unknown. My body fails, my spirit expands. How willingly I would ever live to preach Christ! But I die to be with Him!" Early the next morning, his words came true.

Through the universal experience of the great awakening, we began to realize that we were a nation. This national identity was rooted in the conviction that we were a people chosen by God for a specific purpose. In the earliest prayer of the Puritans was the idea that their colony could be a city on a hill. Through the experience of the Great Awakening the entire nation became a citadel of light in a darkened world. The massing of God's children in large groups to hear is word led people to be joined by the Spirit in the common cause of advancing God's kingdom. George Whitefield, the tireless itinerant preacher, was the lightning rod of this great awakening.

A lasting impression one receives of the Great Awakening was the constant action of those involved. The 13 colonies were no longer 13 scattered settlements, they were growing and expanding rapidly. Whitefield and all the others would ride and ride and preach and preach until their lungs gave out. Whitefield preached more than 18,000 sermons between 1736 and 1770. That is more than 10 sermons a week over a period of 34 years. The great Awakening is the model of all America religious revivals. What God did in the generation leading up to the Revolutionary War, he can do again. We must pray for God to raise up people who are deeply moved by the simple, yet amazing truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May God pour out his spirit on the young people of America, and grant us a great awakenings. And may the great schools among 206 East Coast College Campuses, be the next century's equivalent of 18th century Oxford, where young people who love Jesus can begin their mission life.

Soon Adam Winthrop saw his son's hidden marriage problem and introduced him to Mary Worth, the daughter of a distinguished Essex nobleman. (See the e-mail exchange at the end of this page regarding the accuracy of this name) Three weeks later John was married at the age of seventeen. Ten months later, just after his eighteenth birthday, he became a father. John and his wife Mary worked hard and had six children in ten years. Then Mary suddenly died. After six months John remarried, but on his first wedding anniversary his second wife died. One year later John married his third wife, Margaret. By all accounts, Margaret was one of the most appealing women in all of American history. She was beautiful and gracious. She was also a woman of faith. John Winthrop treasured her as his greatest possession. When he traveled away from home, he never failed to send her love letters. Here is one of his letters:

I am still detayned from thee, but it is by the Lord, who hath a greater interest in me than thy selfe, when his work is donne he will restore me to thee againe to or mutuall comfort: Amen...I hope to be wth thee to morrowe...So I kisse my sweet wife & rest. Thine, Jo: Winthrop.

In every letter, John expressed deep love for his wife Margaret. But he never failed to encourage her faith and to remind her that he was only a mortal man, and that their first and greatest love must be reserved for the Creator God. She was his spiritual coworker and his faithful companion as they journeyed through life to God's kingdom.

In his early thirties John began to study law. This would equip him with the legal expertise he needed to handle landlord-tenant disputes, collect rents, and deal with government authorities. In due time, John would follow in his father's footsteps as the next lord of Groton Manor. John's father did his best to establish John as an upper-middle class country gentleman. But John was not like his father. Sometime in his early years, either on the estate or when he was away at college, a change took place in John. His heart caught fire. It was the fire that they called Puritanism.

Second, the Puritans.

For the most part, historians of the twentieth century have portrayed the Puritan movement in a negative light. They say the Puritan was a stern-faced religious bigot who burned witches at the stake and never had any fun. Here is what one historian wrote:

[Puritanism] did great things for England and America, but only by creating in the men and women it affected a tension which was at best painful and at worst unbearable...Puritanism required that man refrain from sin but told him he would sin anyhow. Puritanism required that he reform the world in the image of God's holy kingdom but taught him that the evil of the world was incurable and inevitable. Puritanism required that he work to the best of his ability at whatever task was set before him and partake of the good things that God had filled the world with but told him he must enjoy his work and his pleasures only, as it were, absent-mindedly, with his attention fixed on God...All [Puritans] labored hard, some by so doing amassed great wealth or won fame among their fellow men--but never dared enjoy it. (Morgan, pp. 7-8)

We should not be quick to believe what modern secularists say about the Puritans. Puritanism had two sides. On the political side, Puritans were a group of Protestants who were opposed to the corruption and abuses of the Church of England. The Puritans wanted to purify their church, to make it holy and pleasing to God. On the spiritual side, Puritans were men and women with intense personal devotion to God. They believed that the chief goal of man was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Dt 6:5).

The Puritans' devotion manifested itself in three important ways. First, they believed that man should be in the world but not of the world. The believer's true home is not on earth but in heaven, so he must be careful not to lose his heart to the all the things that this world has to offer--pleasures, material wealth, achievement, human love, and so on. On the other hand, the goodness of the things that God created should not be denied. There is nothing wrong with enjoying good food, music, love for your spouse, sports or recreation--as long as you don't become frivolous and crowd God out your heart. Second, they believed that man has a duty to use to the fullest extent all of the talents and abilities that God has given him. They were strong supporters of education. They worked hard in their professions and became doctors, lawyers, scholars, businessmen, and statesmen. They didn't believe in doing anything halfheartedly. If something was worth doing, then the man should do it with his best effort for the glory of God.

The third conviction that made the Puritans unique was their belief that God's covenant promises in the Old Testament did not just apply to ancient Israel, but to every society and every generation. These promises are well summarized in Exodus 19:5-6: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." If any nation observed God's laws and commands, God would give protection, prosperity, and the spiritual blessings of knowing him and living as his people. On the other hand, if a people rejected God's decrees and turned to idolatry and sin, God would eventually reject them. The Puritans of seventeenth-century England were greatly concerned about the future of their nation; they saw the corruption of government and church officials, growing immorality, materialism, and lack of concern for the poor as signs that their nation would either have to repent or experience the cleansing fire of God's wrath.

Why do the Puritans have such a bad reputation in modern times? One reason is that the Puritans' ideas about the relationship between church and state are fundamentally different from that of modern-day Americans. In America, the government cannot pass laws to encourage people to worship God or practice the tenets of Christianity because our society contains a large number of non-Christians. But the situation of the Puritans was quite different. They had the unique opportunity to charter a new society. They came together as people of like mind and faith to create a new nation to honor God and to pass their Christian values to their children. They believed that church and government should work together to promote holiness and help people to succeed both materially and spiritually. Another reason why the Puritans have a bad reputation is that some of them were indeed intolerant, critical, and legalistic. They were human beings, subject to the same weaknesses as all men. Later generations of Puritans carried the name, but not the fiery faith and devotion, of their ancestors.

These things are true. But I believe the fundamental reason why the twentieth century looks down on the Puritans is that the secular mind cannot understand the satisfaction and joy that comes from serving God wholeheartedly. To many in our day, joy means nothing more than pleasure-seeking. What fun is life, they think, if you can't drink to excess, enjoy lustful thoughts, and lose yourself in recreational pursuits? What is the point of working hard and being successful if you can't take full credit for it and have to give glory to God? Or what is the point of love and marriage if you can't expect that your partner will satisfy your every dream and desire and make you happy apart from God? Much of the modern criticism of Puritans stems from the American appetite for over-indulgence. It also stems from the fact that to those who have no hope in heaven, this world is all there is. When modern-day people look at the Puritans, they conclude that Puritans must have been miserable, because Puritans did not over-indulge. The Puritans gave their hearts to God. They sacrificed the momentary pleasures of sin in this world for the eternal glory of the kingdom of heaven. But the Puritans did not practice self-denial for its own sake. They were free to enjoy the good things that God created. In fact, some religious groups of that day criticized the Puritans, calling them compromised and worldly.

In the personal life of John Winthrop, there is no evidence that he was stern, legalistic, or unhappy. As a young Christian he struggled from time to time with what seemed to be minor issues. He really liked his wife, and for a while he wondered if he loved his wife too much. He wondered if it was wrong to enjoy hunting with a gun. He had a habit of smoking a pipe, and he wondered if God wanted him to give up smoking. But these struggles grew out of a sincere desire to love and please God. As his faith grew, he became a more comfortable, confident, and mature Christian. He realized that the main focus of his faith should not be on what he was or was not allowed to do, but on finding God's purpose for him and serving God's world with responsibility and stewardship.

Third, Winthrop's struggle and great decision.

In seventeenth-century England there was no such thing as freedom of religion. There was only the Church of England. Sincere Christians had only two choices: either work to reform the Church from within, or break off from the Church and repudiate its authority. Those who wanted to break from the Church were called Separatists. The Puritans were not Separatists. They believed that breaking off was a very serious matter, and should only be considered as a last resort. They did not want to be disloyal to the Crown or show disrespect for the authorities that God had allowed to come to power. But as the Church grew more politicized and hostile to Puritan ideas, it became clear to John that there was little or nothing he could do to reform the Church from within. He did not want to start a war that he could never win. Also, his son Henry became somewhat rebellious, and John began to worry that he might lose his children to the godless popular culture. At the age of forty-two, after a painful struggle, John decided that the only real choice was for him to take his family and move away from England. Rather than fighting political battles with the authorities, he would quietly move away to a new land where he could worship God freely and raise his children in an environment of faith.

Fourth, God provides the way.

In 1629, John Winthrop heard about a new venture called the Massachusetts Bay Company. In those days, groups of investors would put their money together and establish trading companies. The company would send workers to the New World to obtain furs, spices, and other exotic goods and ship them back to England for a profit. Each company had to be specially chartered by the King to receive authority and land to establish a colony in the New World. The colony would have a governor, but the board of directors and chief executive officer would stay in England, overseeing the operation and collecting the profits. On paper, the Massachusetts Bay Company appeared to be just another trading company. But there was a small technical detail that made it different from the other companies: The board of directors was not required to meet in London. In fact, the charter did not mention where the Company would meet. The King of England didn't notice this fact when he signed the Company charter. But the implications of this small oversight were enormous. The whole company, including the board of directors and the governor, could move to the New World and effectively set up their own autonomous government. They could establish their own laws and operate without any direct supervision by the King's authorities in London. Most of the members of the Massachusetts Bay Company were Puritan. They had the full legal authority, if they so desired, to move to New England and build an independent society where they could govern themselves according to the dictates of their conscience.

When members of the Massachusetts Bay Company realized what a remarkable opportunity had come, they seized it and decided to go to the New World. But there were many obstacles to overcome. First of all, they needed leadership. They needed one man of faith and vision who could lead them to the New World and govern them once they arrived. John Winthrop was recognized by all as a man of ability, maturity, and faith, and the Company elected him as its governor. Next, they had to raise an enormous amount of money to transport themselves to the New World. They had to obtain funds from private investors, not all of whom were Puritan, to support them in this venture. Then they had to organize a group of settlers who would live in the colony and support its purpose. There were many non-Puritans who were eager to go to the New World for purely economic reasons, and they had to be weeded out as much as possible. At that time, John Winthrop wrote an essay that laid out the main reasons why sincere Christians should consider moving to the New World. The first four reasons were: 1. To carry the gospel to the New World, to bring the fullness of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God. 2. To escape God's judgement that was coming upon the corrupt churches of Europe. 3. To help solve the problems of overpopulation and poverty in England, where human life was being devalued and people were regarded as less valuable than horses and sheep. 4. To obey the Great Commission and Genesis 1:28, which says, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."

Fifth, a city on a hill.

John Winthrop sold all his possessions and arranged to move his whole family from comfortable England to the rugged and dangerous New World. John's wife Margaret was expecting a baby, so he decided to leave her and his oldest son at home for the first year while he went with the first group of settlers. John could barely stand the thought of being separated from his beloved wife, so they made an agreement that they would think of each other every Monday and Friday, between 5 and 6 pm. On April 7, 1630, four ships with four hundred people set out from England across the stormy Atlantic.

On board the ship, John Winthrop began to keep a diary. This remarkable document was lost after his death, but it resurfaced one hundred years later. The contents of the diary are astounding. From the ship, Winthrop laid out the Puritan vision for the New World. America was to become a city on a hill. He wrote (paraphrase, in modern English):

The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and byword throughout the world; we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all believers for God's sake; we shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us, until we are consumed out of the good land to which we are going...

Then he wrote:

Sixth, the Lord will provide.

Two months later they arrived in Salem, Massachusetts. The settlers could scarcely believe their eyes. It was a total wilderness; except for a few huts and clearings made by previous settlers, there was nothing but forest. How could they raise crops to supply themselves in the coming winter? Each family that came was supposed to be responsible for bringing their own supplies, but many jumped on board at the last minute with little or no food; they had to beg for food from others who had little to spare. Many of their provisions had spoiled on the way. When the settlers saw what the new land was like, scores of them refused to get off the ships and decided to sail back to England immediately. Others were so weakened by malnutrition that they were already dying. Within a few days of their arrival, John's son Henry drowned in a river. The situation was more than a mortal man could bear. But John Winthrop refused to give up. He seized control of the situation, confident that God was with them and would see them through. Rather than giving orders, he rolled up his sleeves and began to build shelters. He led by example and soon the whole company was working as hard as he.

Winthrop decided to move the colony away from Salem, someplace where they would have room to build houses and raise crops. After exploring the coast he led the colonists to what is now called Boston harbor. He ordered them to fan out, and they settled throughout the areas of Charlestown, Cambridge, Boston, Watertown, Roxbury and Dorchester. Realizing that they did not have enough provisions to last through the coming winter, he sent a ship back to England with one message for his son: Send food now! But the ship would take a long time to arrive. Governor Winthrop collected provisions while the settlers made shelters for the winter. They carved caves in the hillsides and dug holes in the ground. When autumn came, many began to fall sick and die. By November, Winthrop had lost eleven servants from his household. But he never wavered; he set the example in bravery. In his letters to his wife there was no hint of despair, and he never suggested that the rest of his family should stay in England. Fall turned to winter, and hundreds died. The whole company was tottering on the brink of starvation. In February, their supplies totally ran out. John Winthrop reached into a barrel to pull out their last handful of grain to give to a starving settler. Just as his hand was coming out of the barrel, someone shouted, "It's here!" At that very moment a ship arrived, bringing new supplies of food. John Winthrop distributed the food and proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God.

Out of one thousand who had come to the New World, two hundred died the first winter. When spring came, another two hundred gave up and went back to England. Many of the British investors decided this was a losing business and pulled out, leaving the colonists without support or supplies. John Winthrop took his own money which he had acquired from the sale of his estate and used it to buy more provisions. In that first year, Winthrop almost singlehandedly fed the colony out of his own pocket. Later that year, his wife Margaret and the rest of his children arrived. Winthrop found that two more of his children had died that year, including the newborn baby daughter whom he never saw. But he praised God for bringing his family to the New World, and he never wavered in his conviction that the Lord was with them.

Over the next ten years, twenty thousand settlers poured into Massachusetts. Winthrop governed them as if they were his own children. He required that they treat the Indians with dignity and respect, so that they might be won over to Christ. A few settlers resented his power and influence. But no one could deny that the very existence of Massachusetts was due to the courage, faith, and sacrifice of their governor. Even secular historians marvel at his kindness, wisdom, and leadership, and agree that John Winthrop was one of the princes of our civilization.

only son among ten daughters. In Washington UBF, David Brogi is the only son

among four daughters. Edwards father was Timothy Edwards who was a pastor

himself. Edwards' mother was Esther Stoddard. She is perhaps more famous than

her husband because she was the daughter of Reverend Solomon Stoddard.

Solomon Stoddard, Edwards grandfather, was a Puritan in every sense of the

word. He was the spiritual leader of the town of Northampton, Massachusetts for

57 years. Two years before his death, his grandson Jonathan Edwards rose from

assistant pastor to pastor.

Jonathan Edwards learned much from his grandfather and father about the

importance of studying hard. From the time he was old enough to hold a pen in his

hand, Edwards learned how to write. His father taught him Latin and other

languages such as Greek and Hebrew. At the age of six he could conjugate Latin

verbs. His early mastery of these languages would later help him be an expert

Bible scholar and a powerful Bible messenger. We can learn here that to be a

fruitful servant of God, we must learn to master a language through constant

diligent study. Many Junior Missionaries are laboring diligently to overcome English

in order to be fruitful servants of God in America. They are happy when their

sheep can finally understand what they are saying.

At the age of 13, Jonathan Edwards entered Yale College. Yale had ben

founded in 1701 as an orthodox alternative to the more liberal Harvard. It was

there that Edwards studied theology. And did he love to study. He would often

spend 14 hours a day studying. But Edwards also loved to study about insects. He

watched them closely, especially ants, remembering God's word in Proverbs 6:6,

which says, ``Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!'' and

Proverbs 30:25, ``Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food

in the summer.'' So if you have trouble with being lazy, go look and study the ants

and learn their great diligence. Edwards was interested in science and living

creatures because he felt that it helped him to understand the mind of the Creator

God who made all things with purpose. In one of his comments later in his life,

Edwards realized that God had not hidden the treasures of knowledge in nature to

make things difficult for man, but to challenge his inquiring spirit and curiosity.

Revival

In 1720, Edwards graduated from Yale, first in his class. By the time he was 23

years old, he became the assistant pastor and later the pastor at the church in

Northampton, Massachusetts. Early in his pastoral career, Edwards struggled with

the meaning of true revival. What could he do to get his congregation to

experience revival? His generation was the second generation of the Puritans. The

first generation had worked hard and been very diligent to sow the seed of the

gospel and to make America a City on a Hill. Many great spiritual gains were made

and the kingdom of God had begun to spread in the young America. But now, the

second generation had lost much spiritual desire. They had lost saltiness and the

zeal needed to continue the spread of the kingdom of God. Edwards was not the

only one who recognized the need of spiritual revival. Throughout the history of

the church, whenever territory for the kingdom of God is won, the devil becomes

increasingly jealous and hostile. This is why God's church can never be satisfied or

content. It must always make every effort to enter through the narrow door.

So Edwards began a series of sermons with much prayer, in order to wake up

the sleepy congregation that had become too involved with their own business

and everyday life and not with Christ and his kingdom. In 1731, he preached a

message called, ``God glorified in man's dependence.'' In it, he attacked the liberal

argument that sin was merely a condition of ignorance. He believed that human sin

was an inherent enmity against God and that salvation meant a change of heart.

This challenged complacent believers to earnestly and sincerely and thoroughly

search their hearts of sins and repent. Such earnest soul searching by individuals

is a step toward salvation.

In 1733 he preached a message called ``A Divine and Supernatural Light.'' He

stressed that real Christianity requires encounters with the truth, but that the truth

must be illuminated by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Only this can produce a

sense of divine excellency of the things revealed in the word of God. One of the

effects of this encounter will be a delight in the glory of God. He stated, ``The

convert does not merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but has a sense of

the gloriousness of God in his heart … there is a sense of the loveliness of God's

holiness.'' Edwards was writing from personal experience. When he first

encountered the Scripture under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, his life began

to change. Part of this new Spirit-driven concern in the young Edwards at that

time was a fervent interest in revival and the extension of Christ's Kingdom.

In the following year, 1734, Edwards began a series of sermons about

justification by faith. The main message was called, ``Justification by faith alone.''

He said, ``Justification comes not through good works, but through faith.'' He

defined faith in terms of total response to Christ, of one being in Christ. Edwards

always stressed the central theme of the religious experience or ``sense of the

heart'' as he called it.

In that year, 1734, revival began to break out in Northampton, Massachusetts.

It began among the young people who had been drifting away from the church. If

a nation is to be revived spiritually, then it must first come from its young people.

Why young people? Because they are not fixed-minded or corrupt like old

people. Young people tend to be learning and pure in their desires. Acts 2:17

says, ``In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons

and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions….'' Young people,

especially those of college age are the best ones from whom a spiritual revival can

take place. They are the hope of the country and its future. And even many young

people can bring their parents to the Kingdom of God. Once Shepherd Todd Funk

was spiritually revived through the Bible study, he began to teach his mother and

she began to be revived. At each Bible study she would say with wonder, ``I didn't

know that!''

Many young people wanted to meet with Edwards personally after his sermons

to have discussions. In that year of 1734, a great change began to occur among

the people. There was a great and earnest concern about the things of God and

eternal life. An intense conviction of sin was nearly universal among those

responding to the Northampton revival. Deeper sins like pride and envy were the

focus. Some were even convicted that they were not more convicted.

In his early years, Edwards was an intellectual introvert. He could not manage

the small talk needed for parish visitation. But now many came to Edwards

personally to his office to have Bible study. This is very much like UBF's 1:1 Bible

study. These personal 1:1 meetings are the seeds of spiritual revival.

This revival of 1734 was the spark that was fanned into flame along the whole

East Coast until or about 1743. What were some more of the signs of this great

revival? For one, personal thirst and desire for God for each individual. Secondly, a

personal witnessing such as campus fishing grew on a large scale. The sharing of

the gospel, which was previously directed mainly from clergy to laity, now flowed

in new channels---from wives to husbands, even from children to parents. Over a

short period of time, hundreds came to Christ. Towns seemed to be full of the

presence of God. Edwards wrote,

"The town seemed to be full of the presence of

God: it was never so full of love, nor joy, and yet so full of distress as it was

then… it was a time of joy in families on account of salvation being brought unto

them; parents rejoicing over their children as new born, and husbands over their

wives.''

Edwards wrote about this revival in 1736 in a work called ``A Faithful Narrative

of the Surprising Work of God.'' He interpreted the religious revival as evidence of

God's redemptive work in New England. Later he wrote ``The Distinguishing Marks

of a Work of the Spirit of God'' in 1741 and ``Some Thoughts Concerning the

Present Revival'' in 1743. In both of these works, he defended the revival as an

authentic religious experience. But he himself became critical of the revival though

he seemed to defend its authenticity.

He asked ``What are the true signs of a revival and what are some of the false

signs?'' His criticalness shows his deep desire for people to be true in their faith

and to make sure that they were indeed making the effort to enter through the

narrow door to the kingdom of God. To live as God's people one must thoroughly

search one's own heart. Spirituality is not a series of emotional experience but a

way of life.

Edwards was very demanding upon his congregation. But it was in a good way

so that they would be true and sincere to God who sees and judges the heart. For

instance in 1742, he drew up a covenant for his congregation to sign, binding

them to live their faith visibly. This is a reminder that we have a covenant with

God. The covenant is the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ which

he poured out for sinners like us. Through his blood we as sinners become God's

people and God becomes our God. We therefore must live as his people living

responsible, faithful and holy lives to Jesus our Lord and Savior.

But for what is Jonathan Edwards most noted? It is his famous sermon he

delivered in 1741 called ``Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'' This sermon

created spiritual panic among the congregation who heard it. His key verse was

Deuteronomy 32:35 which says, ``It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time

their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.''

In this sermon he stated that rebellious man is far too small and weak to resist the

judgment of God which was sure to come.

He said in his sermon,

"There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any moment

out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God… Hell, the very expression of divine

wrath, is prepared; the fire is made ready; the furnace is hot now; the flames do

now rage and glow… Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten

covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will

not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.''

The response of the audience was one of screaming and weeping. They

reached for building columns and chair rails, something solid to hold onto, because

they were sure that the floor of the church would suddenly open up and swallow

them into the fires of hell under their feet. This sermon has the true meaning of

the fire and brimstone preaching.

But Edwards believed that America was destined to be part of the glorious

work of God. He even believed that the millennium would begin in America. He

quoted Isaiah 60:9 in regards to this, which says, ``Surely the islands look to me;

in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar, with their silver

and to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed

you with splendor.'' Edwards believed that the ``islands'' here referred to America.

Later in his life around the year 1751, he served as a teacher and missionary to

the Indians. In 1758, three months before he died, he became the President of

Princeton. We can say that Edwards life did much to advance the gospel in

America. His life and faith was a great part in the First Great Awakening in

America that started a great spiritual revival. Edwards made every effort to make

sure that his flock entered through the narrow gate. He worked hard because he

had a great vision for America. We can see that his hard labor sowed many good

seeds that are still growing here in this country. Like Edwards, we must work hard

and make every effort to teach the Bible 1:1. Sometimes we seem crazy and look

crazy to be so diligent to get others to study the Bible. But we must continue to

do so and believe that 1:1 Bible study is God's way to spark a great revival and

to make America a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.

Reference

Marshall, Peter, and David Manuel. "The Light and the Glory." Fleming H. Rev