Legends and myths derive often from already impressive people. The young Jonathan Edwards must have been a unique boy, for stories involving his brilliance circle his childhood. Not all appear to be true, but they paint a picture of a precocious and impressive Puritan lad. But for all his intellect Edwards comes to know God the same way we all do.
Born October 5, 1703 Jonathan was the only son, among five daughters, of the Rev. Timothy and Esther Edwards. Timothy was a gifted pastor in his own right, known well throughout New England as a preacher blessed with revival. Only his father-in-law was more established as a revivalist preacher than Timothy. Timothy ran his home with both strictness and love. He was an intellectual and so sought to train up his son well. By the time Jonathan was six he was already learning Latin, and had mastered it by the time he was 12. He moved on then to both Greek and Hebrew. Even given that academic life for all Colonists started young, Jonathan was evidencing himself a particularly gifted student.
There is a story, often debated, about the young lad Edwards writing a brilliant and insightful essay on spiders that was well received within the scientific community. Tradition says that Edwards wrote the essay as a young teenage boy. That Edwards wrote the piece is not debated, but it is debated as to when he wrote the piece. John Gerstner stands by the tradition, others disagree. But what is important to note is that Edwards wrote the piece, at a relatively young age, and in a field beyond his own expertise. Edwards would go on to establish himself as a theologian and philosopher, but here as a zoologist he makes a name for himself. At age thirteen he discovered John Locke and proceeded to draw from it for the development of his own philosophy. His precocity evidenced itself even before his matriculation. Whether in philosophy of natural science, Edwards was inclined towards deep thought, careful examination, and insightful clarification. As a gifted student he learned how to integrate a host of disciplines, something students today would do well to imitate.
But even as a budding intellectual the young boy could not reason his way to God. He was still just a boy. Though he and his friends had built a small fort in the woods that they devoted for the purpose of prayer, it was not long before they had converted it into a hideout from which to “shoot” Indians. And though he grew up under the faithful preaching of the Word of God from his skilled father, Edwards did not become a Christian until he himself spent time digging into the Scriptures. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at 17 and sought to progress on to be a pastor. But since he was still too young and needed to cultivate his mind more he entered into working on his Master’s degree. As he spent more time studying Scripture he came to a realization of the God that he thought he was following.
Education was important for Edwards, but ultimately it was time spent in the word of God that revealed the truth of Christ himself to the young scholar. And though he was brilliant, and there is no doubt about that, Edwards discovered Jesus the same way many of us have and any of us can: through God’s revealed Word. Jonathan Edwards is a great person to study, for he unpacks for us so much of the truth of this God. But God came to Edwards the same way he comes to us, through His Holy Word.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 