Nathan W. Bingham

His grandfather had died in 1729, And Jonathan Edwards had taken over as the senior minister there in Northampton. And he had begun to preach as the senior minister. And he experienced late in 1733 and early in 1734 what he called the stirrings of the spirit or the beginnings of an awakening there in Northampton. He saw an unusual responsiveness there.

to the preaching taking place in the congregation. And it's interesting, he was preaching on justification by faith. That would be an interesting study, how many people have been converted by hearing sermons on justification by faith alone. But he began to see this in his own congregation.

to the preaching taking place in the congregation. And it's interesting, he was preaching on justification by faith. That would be an interesting study, how many people have been converted by hearing sermons on justification by faith alone. But he began to see this in his own congregation.

Now, the Puritans, like Jonathan Edwards, and Edwards is certainly a late Puritan, they used the word awakening as a very technical term. And what they meant was that sometimes you saw in a congregation or in several congregations or even more broadly sometimes, a responsiveness, an unusual responsiveness to the preaching of the gospel.

Now, the Puritans, like Jonathan Edwards, and Edwards is certainly a late Puritan, they used the word awakening as a very technical term. And what they meant was that sometimes you saw in a congregation or in several congregations or even more broadly sometimes, a responsiveness, an unusual responsiveness to the preaching of the gospel.

But they all remembered the parable of the wheat and the tares. They knew that it was possible for the sound doctrine of the word to fall on ground where it appeared there was response, but in fact weeds soon choked it out. And so they were hesitant to say we're having a revival, or they were hesitant to say we're seeing a lot of conversions. What they would say is we're seeing an awakening.

But they all remembered the parable of the wheat and the tares. They knew that it was possible for the sound doctrine of the word to fall on ground where it appeared there was response, but in fact weeds soon choked it out. And so they were hesitant to say we're having a revival, or they were hesitant to say we're seeing a lot of conversions. What they would say is we're seeing an awakening.

People are interested. People seem responsive. And we hope it will lead to sound conversion. But they were very cautious in their evaluation. They didn't leap to the conclusion of conversion. They said, it's an awakening, and we hope it will lead to conversion. That's what Edwards said. observed in Northampton in 1734 and in the local region a little bit around him.

People are interested. People seem responsive. And we hope it will lead to sound conversion. But they were very cautious in their evaluation. They didn't leap to the conclusion of conversion. They said, it's an awakening, and we hope it will lead to conversion. That's what Edwards said. observed in Northampton in 1734 and in the local region a little bit around him.

And he wrote an account of this because he and others like him believed that it was very important to be in communication about what God was doing. in the hopes that the word about what God was doing in one place could be taken to another place, and that God might use that to begin an awakening even more broadly.

And he wrote an account of this because he and others like him believed that it was very important to be in communication about what God was doing. in the hopes that the word about what God was doing in one place could be taken to another place, and that God might use that to begin an awakening even more broadly.

And so Edwards wrote the first of his revival treatises entitled, A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God. And this account actually was very widely published and became very influential. So we're beginning to see stirrings of the Spirit, it appears, to awaken the church, to cause new life and faith to come into the church.

And so Edwards wrote the first of his revival treatises entitled, A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God. And this account actually was very widely published and became very influential. So we're beginning to see stirrings of the Spirit, it appears, to awaken the church, to cause new life and faith to come into the church.

And this would ultimately come to be called the Great Awakening in America, or the Great and General Awakening, as the Puritans would have said, because what they experienced was not an awakening just in a few locations, but now an awakening spreading through New England and even to other colonies as well. And the chief catalyst of that was George Whitefield.

And this would ultimately come to be called the Great Awakening in America, or the Great and General Awakening, as the Puritans would have said, because what they experienced was not an awakening just in a few locations, but now an awakening spreading through New England and even to other colonies as well. And the chief catalyst of that was George Whitefield.

Whitefield actually came preaching to New England in 1740. And when Jonathan Edwards heard him there preaching, Edwards sat and wept because he felt this was the man sent by God. This was the man God was going to use. He thought there was such power in that preaching that certainly God would honor it and bless it.

Whitefield actually came preaching to New England in 1740. And when Jonathan Edwards heard him there preaching, Edwards sat and wept because he felt this was the man sent by God. This was the man God was going to use. He thought there was such power in that preaching that certainly God would honor it and bless it.

And Edwards could look around and see what dramatic response there was taking place to the preaching there in 1740. New England. And it was dramatic. It was amazing. Whitfield was still quite a young man. And to a certain extent, it may be that this remarkable success went to his head a little bit.

And Edwards could look around and see what dramatic response there was taking place to the preaching there in 1740. New England. And it was dramatic. It was amazing. Whitfield was still quite a young man. And to a certain extent, it may be that this remarkable success went to his head a little bit.

Whitfield, I think, was only 26 at the time, and saw this remarkable response to his preaching and the praise of other ministers labeled upon him. And he did comment of his preaching tour through New England, "'Dagon falls daily before the ark.'" So he compared himself to the Ark of God. It was maybe a little much, but it was true that there was just this remarkable response wherever he went.