Sermons By Jonathan Edwards On The Matthean Parables, Volume Iii [Hardcover]

This third volume of Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables contains a previously unpublished series of sermons by Edwards on Jesus' Parable of the Net, as found in Matthew 13. Edwards preached these sermons in 1746, after the major phase of the Great Awakening had passed in New England and during the very months he was completing and publishing A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, his masterful statement on the true and false signs of true grace. Therefore, this series is significant for its place in Edwards' rich and evolving view of the nature of religious experience. To assist the reader, preceding the series are two introductions that describe Edwards' preaching style and method, and provide an historical context. Prepared from the original manuscripts by the staff of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, this series represents a significant addition to the available Edwards corpus that will be of interest to scholars, religious leaders, and general readers. These sermons give us a window into a crucial moment in Edwards's career and theological development. Written just as the fervor of the Great Awakening was receding, and as he was composing his study of true and false Christianity--Religious Affections--these searching studies on the Matthean parable of the Net provide scholar and pastor with much theological meat upon which to chew. Minkema and Neele have placed us in their debt. --Oliver Crisp, coeditor of After Jonathan Edwards This volume is another contribution to the wonderful project of making the sermons of Edwards, previously virtually unknown, available for a general audience. Edwards's reflections on the parable of the Net are especially revealing of one lesson he learned from the now-past awakenings--it was almost impossible to distinguish between the truly converted and the seemingly converted. --George Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards It is well known that Edwards experimented with his sermon style, ló-