Coffee with Edwards

Ten Fictitious Questions Based on His Real Writings
B.A.-“Could you tell us about the time you grew up?”

J.E.- “I spent my entire life living in the ‘colonies’ of the New World. 13 small British colonies hugged the Atlantic coast. And a vast western wilderness stretched who knew how far into the unknown.”
B.A.-“What was your upbringing like?”
J.E.-“ I was born into the family of Timothy Edwards and Esther Stoddard. I was the only boy of 11 children. My father was a pastor to the congregation at East Windsor, Connecticut. I went to Yale University at 12 years of age. I graduated at the head of the class, and decided to stay at Yale in pursuit of a Master’s degree.”
B.A.-“So you were born into a Christian home, when did your aspirations to the pastorate begin?”
J.E.-Prior to writing my thesis, I accepted a call to pastor a Presbyterian church in New York City, in the vicinity of modern day Broad and Wall Streets. I also spent many mornings horseback riding along the banks of the Hudson River.”
B.A.-“How old were you at the time?”
J.E.-“I was nineteen.”
B.A.-“And it was at this time that you began writing your famous ‘Resolutions’?
J.E.-“Yes, eventually they would reach 70 in number.”
B.A.-“Would you describe their contents?”
J.E.-“They were guidelines for my life. And two truths weave through them: self-discipline and a concern for the glory of God.”
B.A.-“What led you to continue in the pastorate?”
J.E.- “After finishing up my Master’s Thesis, I decided to stay at Yale as a tutor, or member of the faculty. My academic career however came to an end a few years later when I received a call to serve as an assistant minister to the aging Solomon Stoddard my grandfather.”
B.A.-“What was that experience like?”
J.E.-“He was pastor at the Northampton Congregational Church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Northampton was located north of our home along the Connecticut River. It had grown to be a prosperous and large town, with an equally prominent pulpit. One would have to go to Boston to find a larger colonial church in New England. My grandfather’s reputation matched that of the town and the church. Dubbed “Pope of the Connecticut River Valley”, his influence was felt far beyond the valley and even far beyond his death.”
B.A.-“What did you learn the most in those early years of mentoring from your grandfather?”
J.E.-“I learned of the “seasons of harvest”, or the times of revival in the church. I learned to be a passionate preacher, aiming sermons at moving the whole person toward a greater understanding of God and living for him. These would be the two things I inherited from my grandfather.”
B.A.-“Are there any memories that would not be pleasant?”
J.E.-“Chief among the issues I disagreed with my grandfather was his practice of admitting all to the Lord’s Supper. This would come to be the center of controversy between me and my people years later, and my rejection of the practice would eventuate my dismissal. This was, however, many years over the horizon. Before the season of conflict came, I had many years of fruitful ministry at Northampton.”