A Man of Excellence!

I think I might have mentioned before that I've found this fantastic series of biographies for kids. My kids are 2nd and 3rd grade and it's perfect for their age level, though a 4th or 5th grader could enjoy them, too. Anyhow, we've been reading the biography of Jonathan Edwards. He was born in the early 1700's and helped lead the Great Awakening in America.  I hadn't known much about him prior to reading this bio, basically that he had his theology straight and that his most famous sermon was "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God".  But, life wasn't all wine and roses for him. He did gain a measure of success and fame because of his role in the Great Awakening, but his convictions cost him his job at one point (we haven't finished the book) and caused him great humiliation and, as the world would see it, a career set-back.  He was pastor of  the Northampton Congregational Church in Massachusetts for many years. He took this pastorate after his maternal grandfather retired from it.  One of the problems with this church, though, was that it did not require a profession of faith in Christ to become a member. You just had to be a good person. So, finally, when Edwards did make a stand on this, the church fired him. After 23 years of service.  He ended up becoming pastor at an Indian Mission in Western Massachusetts.  It was a job that suited him, as it gave him plenty of time to write and study, which is something that he didn't have much time for when he was pastor at Northampton.   One thing, though, that really impressed me about him (impressed, but not surprised me) is his conduct and attitude at this time. "Nowhere do we find evidence that Edwards suffered from wounded pride, or from bitterness about his change in circumstances.  He settled in and devoted himself to the tasks at hand."  I love this. It is so easy to be self-righteous, or indignant about unfair treatment, and yet he shows none of that. What an example he set of godliness. On a lighter note, I learned a bit of trivia about him that I had no idea about. Jonathan Edwards was the grandfather of Aaron Burr. You know, the V-President under Thomas Jefferson who challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel and killed him. I had no idea!