Change takes time
Edwards was two years into his stint as pastor at Northampton. Though I was sleepy, Marsden's word made me fully awake:
“Even though by 1731 Edwards could sense that the spiritual orchard he was tending might be regaining its vitality, it took nearly three more years of patient pruning and cultivation before it burst into bloom.”
Edwards is one of the greatest thinkers in American history, a man of passionate faith, and one who loved the church of Jesus Christ. Despite that, change did not come immediately. It took time. There are no shortcuts to walking with God, implementing a vision, or growing a church. Change takes time!