A Humble Attempt (1748)

INTRODUCTION

Through Edwards’s correspondence with a group of revivalists in Scotland, he was able to transmit news of awakenings and religious concerns abroad. One measure that the Scots implemented as a way of furthering the revival spirit was to institute regular, agreed upon days of prayer that would be observed by participating churches throughout the land. Edwards’s friends proposed that churches in the colonies join in, and Edwards eagerly agreed to pass on the idea. A Humble Attempt was the result. Edwards presented the proposal in the first part of the book and then spent the remainder bringing in scriptural proof for the efficacy of united prayer, discussing the importance of perpetuating awakenings, and connecting them to apocalyptic teachings and hopes. Pointed to as an important source for renewing the modern Concert of Prayer movement, A Humble Attempt is also viewed as an important statement of Edwards’s eschatology.