442 EDWARDS impressions to come to consult him. In spite of this comparative seclusion, and in spite of a weak and infirm constitution, he was an ac- ceptable pastor, and his fame as a preacher was very wide. The little exercise which he took consisted in solitary walking or in rides on horseback in the lonely woods. In July, 1731, he was prevailed upon to deliver the Thursday lecture in Boston; and his discourse was printed and greatly approved. It was his habit to write out his thoughts with care, but to utter himself fluently without regard to his notes. His voice, though not strong, was clear and distinct ; and his manner, though he used little of gesture, showed his own fervor and moved the hearts of his hearers. The Armin- ian doctrine seemed to him of the most dan- gerous practical tendency, and in 1734 he be- gan to preach on justification by faith alone. His preaching was followed by a wonderful revival of religion, exceeding everything that had been known at any time in any part of the country. On this occasion he printed a sermon on "A Divine and Supernatural Light imparted to the Soul by the Spirit of God," and he wrote a narrative of this great awak- ening, which was printed in England, and re- published in Boston, with some doctrinal dis- courses against the Arminians. The revival began to extend far and wide through the New England colonies, having a permanent influ- ence on the character of the people and their conduct in events that were soon to come. Tradition still keeps in memory the wonderful effect of Edwards's sermon at Enfield on sin- ners in the hands of an angry God. He wrote "Thoughts on the Revival of Religion," and published in 1746 his "Treatise concerning Religious Affections." His life was now des- tined to meet with seemingly one of the sad- dest of afflictions. Edwards noticed among his people levities of manner, consequent as it seemed on reading books which a severe mo- rality could not approve, and he invoked the attention of his church to the subject. The church disapproved of the scandal which would follow an inquiry, and let the matter drop. Under the lax discipline of his predecessor the church had been filled up with persons who, though outwardly well behaved, were not strictly religious. Calvin and the Congrega- tionalists admitted to the communion only those who professed personal religious convic- tions, and baptized only the children of com- municants. On this system the churches of Massachusetts and Connecticut were founded. But the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran and Anglican churches baptized all children born within their pale ; and the influence of their example made the New England people gene- rally desire to secure the ordinance of baptism for their offspring, and the "half-way cove- nant" was adopted. Edwards desired to en- force the old rule, which in the Northampton church had never been abrogated, and found himself at variance with the church. He held that experimental piety should go before ad- mission to full communion; the church held that the Lord's supper is a converting ordi- nance. Edwards was overborne by the ma- jority. He proposed to deliver a course of lectures on the subject, and they refused him their consent; and on June 22, 1750, he was forced to resign. His friends in Scotland in- vited him to come over and establish himself in that country; Samuel Davies of Virginia entreated him to remove to that state, offering to surrender to him his own parish, and plead- ing that he and he only had weight enough by his representations in Great Britain to stop the illiberal oppression of Presbyterians by the governors of the Old Dominion. But he ac- cepted an offer from the agent of the London society for propagating the gospel, to become a missionary to the remnant of the Housaton- nuck Indians at Stockbridge. The handful of white settlers that had gathered round the tribe also asked him to become their pastor. His trifling income was slightly augmented by the delicate handiwork of his wife and daugh- ters, which was sent to Boston to be sold. At Northampton Edwards had been the centre of a wide circle of influence, visited by many guests, consulted by many churches; at Stock- bridge all his preaching to the Indians was uttered extempore, without notes, aided by an interpreter ; and when he was once established in a house of his own, he found himself pos- sessed of more leisure than he had ever before enjoyed. The next six years were given to uninterrupted study. The narrow apartment that formed his workroom found him early and late at his desk ; he scarcely shared the meals of his family. The development of the views which had long engaged his mind formed the chief entertainment and delight of his life. The main point in the discussion between Ar- minians and Calvinists had been carefully con- sidered by him from the time he was 15 years old, and he had kept minutes of his thoughts during the intervening period. He now fin- ished his "Inquiry into the Freedom of the Will," and published it in 1754. After a half year's illness he completed a dissertation on "God's Last End in the Creation of the World," which is a picture of his own char- acter, reasoning, and mind. He also wrote at this period his dissertation on the " Nature of True Virtue," and his essay on " Original Sin," and planned a comprehensive work on Chris- tian theology in the form of a history, a revi- sion and completion of the history of redemp- tion which he had written at Northampton, to be carried on with regard to all three worlds, heaven, earth, and hell. Plans of other trea- tises crowded also upon his mind. These studies were interrupted by the death of his son-in-law, President Burr of Princeton col- lege, and Edwards was called to succeed him. He kindled by his presence and his words the liveliest interest among the students, and on Feb. 16, 1758, was installed as president. The
