“Religion brought forth Prosperity, and the daughter destroyed the mother.” (Cotton Mather – 1702) The Colonies were prospering. They saw it as the blessings of God and well they should have. However, the more prosperous they became, the more they wanted more. Their rapacious desires – their uncontrollable materialistic greed – caused the colonists to push their faith aside in the pursuit of wealth. Mather was right. And he’s still right.

The Jeremiad preachers addressed the sinful ways of the colonists. They spoke of God’s coming judgment in the face of their sinful ways. They highlighted specific sins in their sermons. They called our revelers and drunkards and lambasted families for not maintaining Godly discipline. In short, they gave their congregants a heavy dose of the seriousness of sin.

The Age of Reason was in fine form and offered the colonists a “reasonable” solution. The Age of Enlightenment brought on a shift from the revelation of God to the reasoning of man. There arose a focus on the natural rights of mankind with little regard for the God Who gave them those rights. Science became the answer to life’s problems.

Once again, Satan’s game plan for the destruction of mankind had worked – the lust of the flesh – revelry; the lust of the eyes – rapaciousness; and the pride of life – reason. (1 John 2:16)

Jonathan Edwards addressed these issues in the Northampton Church. He was a Jeremiad Preacher who could bring forth the fear of God and the fires of hell. However, with the seriousness of sin he also brought forth the supply of grace offered freely through the love and blood of Jesus. Furthermore, as one who had read John Locke and understood the Age of Reason, he led people to see the true Reason found in the Gospel message and the reasonableness of the Christian faith.

Revival came to Northampton. Edwards wrote about the revival that swept through the community and surrounding areas in a book entitled “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprizing Work of God.” This book became the blueprint for revival used by George Whitefield and Charles Wesly and countless others who ushered in The Great Awakening.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. It is part of a series called From Reverence to Revival to Revolution: The Influence of Christianity and the Great Awakening on the Founding of The United States of America. Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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