Jonathan Edwards was born in Connecticut in 1703. He attended Yale University at the age of twelve and graduated four years later as Valedictorian. Since his dad was a preacher, he had always heard the gospel of Christ. In his early years, he had some objections about the doctrine of God's sovereignty, but soon came around and delighted in the doctrine. Edwards surrounded himself in God's word, and fell in love with every aspect of the scripture. At the age of twenty four, he was appointed "Student Minister" at his grandfather's church, and studied thirteen hours a day. He married Sarah Pierpont, and together they had eleven children.
Edwards's grandfather passed away, leaving him the sole minister of the church. As minister, he preached many sermons in the next few years, and talked of the work of salvation. A religious revival began in Northampton in 1733. In 6 months, over 300 people were admitted to the church. The revivals were very powerful, and sermons were often based on the imagery of Hell and told people that Hell was a real place, and very easy to go to. Criticism of the revivals caused many to no longer attend, and things took a turn for the worse. Many people were so traumatized by the sermons that they thought everyone was headed for damnation. Some people even took their own lives because they thought their sins were just too much and they wouldn't be forgiven. Even through these setbacks, the Northampton revival spread to Scotland and England.
Edwards then met George Whitefield, who was then on a revival tour himself. He asked Whitefield to speak at his church, and was so moved by the sermon, Edwards knew he must continue with his powerful revivals. As revivals became more and more popular, Jonathan Edwards spoke his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". This sermon was the most dramatic of all he had preached before. The first place Edwards preached this sermon was to a church in Enfield, Connecticut. The preacher of that church asked Edwards to come speak because that church had surprisingly been unaffected by this Great Awakening movement. Edwards taught the listeners of the horrors of Hell, the terrors of being lost, and all the dangers of sin. He told the people of the urgency to receive Christ's forgiveness. Edwards wanted the horrific imagery of the sermon to show people the awful reality that awaited them if they didn't accept Christ.
Below is a link to a reenactment of the sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". This helps to get a feel of what it was like to actually witness Jonathan Edwards's emotional sermon.
Towards the end of Edwards's sermon, there were many people who got out of their seats and stood in the ailes, and some people interrupted his preaching by asking how to be saved. This sermon by Jonathan Edwards was the biggest example of the Great Awakening period, and is still touching lives to this day. Religious and education institutions have used this sermon as a tool for many years. Although "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" has been widely criticized, Jonathan Edwards's words prevailed and are still read to this day, almost 300 years later.
