"God's Awful Judgment in the Breaking and Withering of the Strong Rods of a Community," was preached at Northampton, Massachusetts, on the Lord's day, June 26, 1748. The sermon was a memorial to John Stoddard, Jonathan Edwards' maternal uncle. It speaks of the nature and character of leaders who are the strong rods of a community. The Application of the sermon describes John Stoddard's superior qualities, ability to reason, and relationships to others.