Distinguishing Marks (1741)

Delivered in September 1741 at Yale College as the commencement address at the height of the Great Awakening, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of a Spirit of God was Edwards’s effort to strike a moderating note in the controversy over the revivals. With pro-revival “New Lights” insisting on the thorough-going authenticity of the revivals and anti-revival “Old Lights” critical of the sometimes ecstatic and disorderly behavior of converts and the demonstrative style of itinerating preachers, Edwards found himself in the unenviable position of trying to reconcile the two parties. Characteristically, he sought to beat out a path between the two extremes. In the face of Yale’s wary rector and faculty, who were critical of the revivals and itinerancy and watchful for any signs of disobedience in their students, Edwards applied the lessons he had learned since the Connecticut Valley revival of 1734-35 and in the events he had witnessed since Whitefield’s arrival in the fall of 1740. Here for the first time he publicly delineated between “negative” and “positive” signs of authenticity, cautioning that some behavior and spiritual frames could not be legitimately taken as a “mark” of the Holy Spirit, while others were more reliable. Edwards did not convince his Yale audience, but he did succeed in impressing a number of hearers, including Samuel Hopkins, who resolved to study with him. Distinguishing Marks was quickly published in Boston and attracted attention in England, where a London edition was issued the following year.