Jonathan Edwards | A rare Franklin imprint written in defense of early evangelicalism

Jonathan Edwards

The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Applied to the Uncommon Operation that has Lately Appeared on the Minds of Many of the People of the Land. … A discourse delivered at New-Haven, September 10th, 1741. … Boston, Printed: Philadelphia: Re-printed and Sold by Benjamin Franklin, in Market-Street, 1742

8vo (154 x95 mm). Typographic ornaments in text, occasional annotations; Light even toning, a few small spots and stains, corners rounded, text-block trimmed close and skimming the footnotes on p. iv, occasional creasing and one small loss (leaf E3) at corners, a thin hole in the title-page affecting four lines of text, small loss at the tail of the gutter in the last two leaves just touching a catchword and a few lines of text. Disbound; the first gathering sewn, a few remnants of early sewing in the text. Half green morocco folding-case, chemise.

The exceedingly rare Franklin edition of Jonathan Edwards's important sermon on identifying God's true works, written in defense of the First Great Awakening by one of the movement's pivotal leaders.

This sermon was given at Yale College in September of 1741. The college's administration had invited their esteemed alumnus, a child prodigy who matriculated at the age of 13 and graduated as valedictorian, back to campus to give a commencement speech. They hoped that Edwards would quell certain revivalist students' extreme behaviors. What they got was something else entirely.

As the First Great Awakening stretched into the 1740s, Edwards and his fellow revivalists faced increasing backlash from orthodox church leaders, who argued that his movement favored emotionalism and individualism over theology and authority. Jonathan Edwards responded in this work, presenting a well-considered argument in support of the evangelical revival. He cautiously defended the revivalists' penchant for fire and brimstone preaching, and addressed the ecstatic swooning and convulsing that was common in evangelical congregations. He explained that these "bodily effects," though not marks of God in themselves, were signs of an increased love of Christ, scripture, and truth among his congregants.

The text is an expanded version of Edwards' Yale sermon, with a preface by the Reverend William Cooper of Boston. The first edition was published in Boston by S. Kneeland and T. Green in 1741. Four subsequent editions were published the following year, in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the present Philadelphia edition put out by Franklin, a testament to the sermon's widespread popularity.

Rare—ESTC lists just four institutions with copies (though none are at Yale), and apparently this copy is the last example offered at auction, in 1919, and this is the only example we can trace in private hands.

REFERENCES

Miller 279; ESTC W18765; Evans 4937; Hildeburn 760; Johnson, Edwards 51; T. A. Schafer, "Jonathan Edwards" in Encyclopedia Britannica, March 18, 2026 (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jonathan-Edwards)

PROVENANCE

Arnold Boyd (early ownership signature on title) — Evidently the copy sold at Henkels on 26 June, 1919, "Important Historical and Literary Sale. From the Library of Caesar Rodney, Signer of the Declaration of Independence …," lot 202 ("unbound. … The present copy is time-stained, and the corners rounded, or as we say cat-eared.")