Welcome to five minutes in church history hosted by Dr Stephen Nichols, where we take a little

break from the present to go exploring the past. Travel back in time as we look at the people,

events, and even the places that have shaped the story of Christianity.

This is our story, our family history. Let's get started.

In 1737, Jonathan Edwards published his first book, A Narrative of the Surprising Work of God.

There is a fascinating story, a mini narrative within that grand narrative of the

revivals there in Northampton, Massachusetts, and it's the story of four-year-old Phoebe Bartlett.

Jonathan Edwards tells the story like this.

She was born in March in the year 1731.

About the latter end of April, or beginning of May 1735, she was greatly affected by the talk of her brother.

He had been hopefully converted a little before at about 11 years of age and he then seriously talked to her

about the great things of religion now Phoebe Bartlett's only four years old at

this point and in fact Edwards observes that her parents while they very much were

earnest and talking to Phoebe's older brothers and sisters about the gospel they

didn't talk to her about the gospel as much because of her age because she was only four years old, but the mother noticed something, Phoebe's mother noticed something, that Phoebe would often sort of sneak away and go into a closet and they found out later that she was in there for

a season of prayer.

For times of prayer and one time her mother was walking by the closet, well I'll let Edwards tell the story.

On Thursday, the last day of July, about the middle of the day,

the child being in the closet where she used to retire,

her mother heard her speaking aloud, which was unusual and never heard

of before, and her voice seemed to be as one of exceeding and engaged.

But her mother could distinctly hear only these words, spoken in her childish

...