The First Great Awakening in Northampton

"The minds of the people were wonderfully removed from the cares of the world." - Jonathan Edwards

According to Jonathan Edwards in The Surprising Work of God, the First Great Awakening in Northampton was the work of the Holy Spirit that began in late December 1734. His 1736 publication references climactic conversion stories, including a miraculous event where a young woman claimed: "God had given her a new heart, truly broken and sanctified."

Edwards was personally surprised by the attraction and allure to religion and conversion in the people of Northampton. 

The Great Awakening would be characterized by its revivals, public assemblies and gatherings, as individuals would awaken to religion and salvation. Assemblies would be "in tears while the Word was preached, some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors."

The timely sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" became one of the most influential sermons during the Great Awakening. Perry Miller notes that Edwards' sermon anchors itself on "the 'great Reformation doctrine' of justification by faith...by recalling his people to this 'principle hinge' of Protestantism.

Edwards would resolutely lead individuals to the beauty of God’s unmerited grace, unconditional election, and perseverance of the saints. His teachings and convictions would lead others to a strong desire to apply salvation to their daily lives. The Surprising Work of God is the account of the Great Awakening in Northampton by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards affirms the sovereignty of God, which brought people "to rest in God by a sweet sense of His grace and faithfulness."