Overseeing the Flock of God

The work of Jonathan Edwards as a pastor concentrated on his preparations for his weekly pulpit ministry. Perhaps the most famous observation of him from Samuel Hopkins, his contemporary, was that he spent "thirteen hours, every day, in his study." Edwards was convinced that God's call to him the feed the flock of God meant that his preaching ministry was to be the chief means by which he exercised oversight of the congregation. He spent his time alone in improving his knowledge of the Bible, and in fellowship and prayerful communion with the Lord. He felt that without such knowledge and such fellowship, he could not be of benefit to the people for whom he had been called of God to pastor.