Major Works

Personal Narrative (c.1740)

INTRODUCTION

Probably written in response to a request in 1739 from his future son-in-law, Rev. Aaron Burr, Edwards composed a carefully structured but revelatory account of his religious experiences. He utilizes entries from his “Diary” as well as the very first of his “Miscellanies” to reconstruct his activities, thoughts, and spiritual states, largely dismissing much of his youthful religion as too works-oriented. Describing his more mature years, he hits on major themes such as God’s glory, excellency, and beauty, and the depth of his own sin, “infinite upon infinite!” In the process, he presents his own experience, much as he would his wife Sarah Pierpont Edwards’s in Some Thoughts Concerning the Revival and David Brainerd’s in the Life, as something of a model for the spiritual pilgrim. Considered among literary and cultural scholars as a landmark in the history of American self-disclosure, the Personal Narrative has sometimes been anthologized. It is also treasured by religious readers as an evangelical guide. The Personal Narrative enjoyed a brisk business in the nineteenth century, when it was published in small tracts and sold in the hundreds of thousands.

We are in the process of preparing this text for publication in the Works of Jonathan Edwards Online, which currently features some 25,000 pages of Edwards manuscripts. Until the text is ready, please click here to download a PDF file of the document.