Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables, Volume 2: Divine Husbandman (On the Parable of the Sower and the Seed)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The second volume of Jonathan Edwards’ on the Matthean Parables contains a previously unpublished series of six sermons by Edwards on Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the Seed, as found in Matthew 13:3–7. Edwards preached these sermons in 1740 immediately following the visit of George Whitefield to Edwards’ church in Northampton, Massachusetts, in October of that year. This volume has historical significance for its place in the Great Awakening, and it contains important pronouncements on the preacher’s craft and the hearer’s responsibilities.
For the entire set of sermons, see Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables (3 vols.)
Key Features
- Presents sermons from a prominent American theologian
- Uses rich imagery from the well-known parables of Christ
- Offers applicable and insightful teaching
Top Highlights
“The Word of God is fitly compared to seed in the heart, as its end is bringing forth fruit. And this fruit is not brought forth any otherwise than by abiding in the ground in which it is sown, and taking root there; being well received, making deep impression, being understood, taking hold of the affections, having a durable effect in the temper and disposition of the soul.” (Page 34)
“This sermon is a formal literary unit consisting of three main divisions, Text, Doctrine, and Application” (Page 8)
“Ministers of the gospel are the servants of the owner of the field, that are sent forth to sow his seed” (Page 33)
“Third. Here is the ground in which the seed is sown, viz., the hearts of the hearers.” (Page 34)
“He notices first how hearers’ minds may be ‘impressed and affected,’ in that they may have ‘a sort of belief’ in what they hear—assent to the doctrines, assent to the truth of the Word, and conviction—but it is temporary. Providing a number of apparent allusions to Whitefield’s preaching style and its effects on auditors, Edwards points out that stony-ground hearers may even have initial joy in hearing the Word, but their joy arises from pleasure in the manner of preaching, being taken with the eloquence, fervency, and gestures of the speaker rather than having ‘joy in the things preached.’” (Pages 23–24)
Praise for the Print Edition
In the entire history of the church there have been few greater preachers than George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. Here we meet both of them in conversation with each other at the height of the Great Awakening. . . For students of homiletics, this could become an indispensable source on the art of great preaching.
—Stuart Piggin, director, Centre for the History of Christian Thought and Experience, Macquarie University, Australia
About Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) was a theologian, preacher, missionary, writer, and philosopher who has made an incalculable impact on theology, politics, philosophy, the church, and American culture in general. One of the first graduates of Yale college, Edwards went on to write and preach in the Calvinist and Puritan tradition that was his heritage. His church in Northampton, Massachusetts was the epicenter of the Great Awakening, a religious revival that shaped the American religious landscape for years to come. A prolific preacher and writer, Edwards is the author of some of the most important theological works ever penned, including A Treatise concerning Religious Affections and The End for Which God Made the World. The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Yale Edition (26 vols.) is the definitive edition of his many books, treatises, sermons, and notes.