born Oct. 5, 1703, East Windsor, Conn.
died March 22, 1758, Princeton, N.J.
American theologian.
The 5th of 11 children in a strict Great Awakening . In 1750 he was dismissed from the Northampton church over a disagreement on who was eligible to take communion, and he became pastor in Stockbridge in 1751. He died of smallpox shortly after accepting the presidency of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). A staunch {{link=Calvinism">Calvinist , he emphasized original sin, predestination, and the need for conversion. His most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," vividly evokes the fate of unrepentant sinners in hell.