Synopsis: This second volume of Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables contains a previously unpublished series of six sermons by Edwards on Jesus' parable of the Sower and the Seed, as found in Matthew 13:3-7.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. Not only does this series have a historical significance for its place in the Great Awakening, but it contains important pronouncements on the preacher's craft and the hearer's responsibilities. These sermons have been placed in the context of Edwards' preaching style and method, and framed by historical considerations. 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. Endorsements: "Two preeminent figures of the Great Awakening--George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards--came together in Northampton, Massachusetts, in October 1740. In the following month, with Whitefield in mind, Edwards started to discuss the subject of preaching in a series of sermons. Expounding on the parable of the Sower, the sermons are reproduced here with the usual accuracy of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale." --David William Bebbington, University of Stirling "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 . . . Students of the Great Awakening will treasure this documentation of one of the great moments of American history. For students of homiletics, this could become an indispensible source on the art of great preaching." --Stuart Piggin, Macquarie University Author Biography: Kenneth P. Minkema is the Executive Editor and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University, and Research Scholar at Yale Divinity School. Adriaan C. Neele is the Associate Editor and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University, Research Scholar at Yale Divinity School, and Professor Extraordinary at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Wilson H. Kimnach is the Presidential Professor in the Humanities (Emeritus), Bridgeport University, and General Sermon Editor of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.

Synopsis: This first volume of Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables contains a previously unpublished series by Edwards on Jesus' Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, as found in Matthew 25. Edwards preached these sermons in 1737-38, in the lull between the Connecticut Valley Revival of 1734-35 and the Great Awakening, which started in Massachusetts in late 1740. Not only does this series have significance for its place in the Protestant evangelical awakening of the eighteenth century, but it is also an important index of Edwards' developing thought on the nature of sainthood and related topics of theoretical and practical Christianity, particularly in the context of widespread spiritual renewal. To assist the reader, preceding the series are two introductions that describe Edwards' preaching style and method and provide an historical context for the series itself. 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. Endorsements: "This is that rare book--for the beginner, the scholar, and the saint: a never-before-published sermon series by the master preacher at the height of his powers edited and introduced by the most knowledgeable of Edwards's scholars. The beginner here gets the necessary help to start with the text; the scholar will be delighted to fill in more of the crucial years between the Northampton revival and the Great Awakening; the saint will rejoice at the piercing thought and burning passion." --Stuart Piggin Director, Centre for the History of Christian Thought and Experience, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia "Any writings of Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest and most influential of Evangelical theologians, are worthy of careful attention, but these sermons engage with the crucial question of distinguishing a true experience of grace from a hypocritical profession of conversion. They are therefore of central importance for understanding an enduring issue in Evangelical faith and practice." --David W. Bebbington, PhD, FRHistS, FEcclesHS Professor of History, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland Editor Biographies: Dr. Wilson H. Kimnach is the Presidential Professor in the Humanities (Emeritus), Bridgeport University, and General Sermon Editor of The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Bryan McCarthy is a former editorial assistant at the Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University, and is now a doctoral candidate at Oxford University. Dr. Kenneth P. Minkema is the Executive Editor and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University, and Research Scholar at Yale Divinity School. Rev. Dr. Adriaan C. Neele is the Associate Editor and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University, Research Scholar at Yale Divinity School, and Professor Extraordinary at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.