Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Interesting Stuff About Jonathan Edwards Family Tree

I live about 30 minutes from the place where Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. God used that sermon as a major factor in bringing Great Awakening to America. Sadly, the church where Edwards preached is no longer there, only a rock memorializes his famous sermon. But Edwards' legacy lives on, not only in the gospel that has continued to be preached across New England, but through his family tree.

I found the material below on a website earlier today and it spoke to me so strongly that I wanted to re-post it for my readers. In a day when it seems that being an atheist has become "cool" and being a "Christian" is somehow bad, consider the family tree of Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest Christians of all times, and Max Jukes, an atheist, who was one of Edwards peers.

Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars.

"But, praise the Lord, it works both ways! There is a record of a great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. His descendants did not cost the state a single penny. 'The memory of the just is blessed' (Prov. 10:7)."

Originally posted at:
http://www.ravenhill.org/edwards.htm



Dr. Terry W. Dorsett is a church planter in New England. He also writes books and leads seminars on how to help churches be more effective in their ministries. Check out his resources at:
http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

11 comments:

  1. And at least one became a "classic rock" radio DJ right here in VT, Jonathan Edwards Brooks.

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    1. Cool. I lived in VT of a while and didn't know this.

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. This is very helpful. Thanks for posting.

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  4. is good to do the work of God with willingness and loyalty. God will surely bless the hands of a righteous man.

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  5. Its interesting to see the fruit of seed sown by ancesstors, thanks for t
    his post very inpspiring

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  6. Bring revival again Lord, we pray.

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  7. I lost my post let me tell you about one our great South African ministers and his wife Rev Andrew and Maria Murray Andrew wrote many books that you may have read he married Maria when she was 16 they had 16 children 8 boys and 8 girls, 2 of the boys and 3 of the girls died as children but 5 of the boys followed their father into the ministry and 4 of the girls married Pastors they had 108 grand children most of whom were and are involved in ministry, sounds kind of like our version of Jonathannand Sarah Edwards

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  8. Thanks for posting this. Several of us gathered by that rock recently and spent time praying for revival to come again to New England.

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