Edwards writes about the two parts of man: his mind and his heart (or will). Edwards attempts to break down the false dichotomy between the mind and the heart in religion. Edward’s argument is that one must have the will (heart’s affection) to love God, but you must likewise possess a mind (mind’s attention) to know God. You can’t love what you don’t know. This text is also very characteristic of Edwards because of his attempt to reconcile two camps within the Christian faith. Die-hard Puritans believed that religion was something completely mental, and emotions were fickle and should play no part in worship. However, many newly-saved converts believed that worship had to be full of emotion in order for it to be authentic. Edwards, in an attempt to reconcile these two factions, wrote A Treatise on Religious Affection to explain the role of emotion and the will in a relationship with God. Edwards brilliantly explains that the mind and the heart should both be involved in worship, but the moment that one or the other are absent, the congregation should check themselves and their relationships with God. However, Edwards inserts a little caveat, saying that emotion should be constructive, not destructive. Any act of the will that is disruptive to worship should be removed from worship (a very Puritan idea). I would use this text to support the concept of Edward’s focus on the mind and the heart, deviating from many conservative Puritan ideas but remaining Biblical, a very important thing for Edwards.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was written during a period of religious apathy in the Northeast. Edwards, growing concerned about the people’s lack of concern about God and his kingdom, wrote this sermon. Contrary to popular opinion, this sermon is not a fire-and-brimstone jeremiad. High school English students are encouraged to read the first half, but skip the last half of the sermon. This is tragic, because the second half of the sermon explains Edwards’ graphic descriptions of hell and man’s condition: grace. Edwards masterfully uses the shocking images of hell and damnation to force his apathetic listeners into taking God seriously, and why he should be important in their day-to-day lives. According to first-hand accounts, Edwards’ sermon caused such an emotional scene in the church that he had to stop the sermon. He never preached it again. However, the sermon was a one-hit wonder; it propelled the people of Enfield back towards God, forcing them to recognize Jesus as their Savior from well-deserved righteous wrath. I would use this text and it’s accompanying commentary to help shift concept of Edwards away from being a bigoted fire-and-brimstone Calvinist preacher and use it to show the kind heart of a shepherding pastor gently and earnestly seeking safety for his flock.