In the first section of Jonathan Edwards A Divine and Supernatural Light, from pages 408 to 410 Edwards speaks of the divine and supernatural light we receive from God when he shares his spiritual knowledge with us, and gives examples in the Bible as to who this happens to and why. From 410 to 416 Edwards tells us what the divine and supernatural light is and isn’t in extreme depth and detail, giving examples from the bible and from his own understanding. From 416 to 423 he then goes to explain how God and why this doctrine is both scriptural and rational with more examples from the bible and from his own understanding of the light immediately give this light. Lastly, from 423 to 425 he tells us why we must seek the light and why it is so powerful …show more content…
A man may have the former, that knows not how honey tastes; but a man can't have the latter, unless he has an idea of the taste of honey in his mind. So there is a difference between believing that a person is beautiful, and having a sense of his beauty.” He uses this example to show that we may have an idea that God is good and an idea of his graciousness and truth, but we cannot know it without “tasting it”, or in this case seeing the divine and supernatural light, like someone who knows that honey is sweet but has never tasted it. This example proves how Edwards believes that by receiving the divine and supernatural light directly from God, one will truly feel this light and understand …show more content…
Edwards says in the first paragraph on page 424 “Yea, the least glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Christ doth more exalt and ennoble the soul, than all the knowledge of those that have the greatest speculative understanding in divinity, without grace.” This justifies his argument by enforcing the fact that Edwards makes that one may have knowledge of God, but when one is graced by God that’s the only time they truly understand the glory and love that God can bestow in us. by It secondly is also the most sweet and joyful knowledge, above every sort of knowledge known to man. This is due to the divine and supernatural light that God shines into the soul, and makes it that much more powerful as it brings the mind and soul into a state of peace amongst the evils of the
Foreboding and dreadful describe the tone of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Edwards makes the tone very clear by saying “The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire” (154). He tries to convey the wrath of god that will come upon them if they do not devoted themselves to Christ by saying “Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon souls, all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God.” (154).
He first uses this effect when he says, “ if God should let you go, you would sink… and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence and best contrivance, and all your righteousness,” (1). Edwards continuously uses the word “and” multiple times to emphasize to his audience that they will not only lose their health but everything else that they possess. This gives his listeners the sense of hopelessness by basically informing them that they will have absolutely nothing once they enter the depths of the agony inducing Hell. Not only does he say that they will have nothing in Hell but pain, he also says, “ The wrath of God is like great waters… they increase more and more and rise higher and higher… more and more mighty… the fiery floods of fierceness… would rush forth with inconceivable fury,” (2). The use of a continuously increase of water that would inevitably drown one’s self enforces the sense of powerlessness. This helplessness would then add more terror to Edwards’ message of how one must save themselves through active participation in faith in God otherwise they will fall into the a pit of Hell with no help or hope possible to
On July 8th 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out. He does not only preach about the ways that make God so omnipotent, but the ways that he is more superior to us. In his sermon, Edwards uses strong, powerful, and influential words to clearly point out his message that we must amend our ways or else destruction invincible. Edwards appeals to the spectators though the various usages of rhetorical devices. This includes diction, imagery, language/tone and syntax. Through the use of these rhetoric devices, Edwards‘s purpose is to remind the speculators that life is given by God and so they must live according to him. This include...
The audience also begins to feel a sense of fear and helplessness in Edward's first paragraph, which he will also maintain throughout this piece. Additionally, Edward engages repetition in his speech in order to continuously build fear and suspense in his audience. Edward begins to use the noun “you” after the second paragraph in order to make his argument more personal and emotional. By saying the words “you” and “your” Edwards is speaking directly to his audience, in doing so he makes the audience envision themselves in the positions that Edwards describes and will make them subconsciously feel the need to convert to Christianity because they are now fearful of God, and the only way to abate this fear is to repent and convert.
a. What points does Berry make in part V of his address that provide insight into the subject of Christian aesthetics?
Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards were both Christians who had great faith in God and put Him first in their lives. They were both aware of God’s almighty power and that God had greater plans for mankind than what was visible on Earth. Their core way of thinking was similar but their personal understanding of God’s nature was strikingly different. Bradstreet saw a kind and compassionate God and Edwards saw a harsh and jealous God. However, both knew that eternal life awaited those who accepted God into their hearts.
As many religious leaders before and after him, Edwards's source of inspiration and guidance is the Bible. His understanding of this cornerstone of New England society enables him to reinforce a persuasive dissertation with biblical quotes and passages; however, not all the quotes cited by Edwards support his interpretations exclusively. Often Edwards uses parts or sections of biblical verse rather than complete text because too much information might diminish the importance of his primary intent. These instances of manipulation occur in the doctrinal section where Edwards attempts to prove the basis of his application. "Cut it down, why cumbereth it in the ground?", Luke 13:7, is used by Edwards to illustrate God's justifiably immediate destruction of those guilty of sin. Absent from his selection is any mention of the moderation and patience that continues in Luke 13:8-9: "let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well." By omitting these verses of scripture, Edwards hopes to move his audience by his calling rather than at their own leisure. Another example of manipulation occurs as Edwards proposes that sinners are already Satan's property. In section five he states that Satan "stands ready to fall upon them and seize them...
In order to understand Edwards use of language however, one must look at his early life and formative influences. His family undoubtedly shaped his religious career because “[H]e was the only son among the eleven children of Rev. Timothy Edwards and Esther Edwards, the daughter of influential puritan clergymen Solomon Stoddard” (Wachal 1). Growing up in a religious family must have influenced his career path. Then “Edwards attended Yale School of theology at 13 years of age” (Paposian 1). This is important because at Yale, Edwards would create his own “unique style of preaching” (“Jonathan Edwards” Dictionary 1). Here “his theology which soon came to be known as Edwardseanism had developed in hi...
Lane, C, Belden.. "JONATHAN EDWARDS ON BEAUTY, DESIRE, AND THE SENSORY WORLD." Theological Studies 1(2004):44. eLibrary. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.
In contrast, Edwards theme has to do with God's ability to strike you down, yet had such
“[Even a] fool, when he hears of… a being than which nothing greater can be conceived… understands what he hears, and what he understands is in his understanding…. and Assuredly that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, cannot exist in understanding along. For suppose it exists in the understanding alone: then it can be conceived to exist in reality;...
One of the most prominent themes is the idea that the devil is responsible for sin. The imagery and symbols found throughout the essay build upon this theme. When Edwards says: “You are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful serpent is in ours” (26), he wants the audience to understand that by sinning, you are doing the devils work. Another theme that is present in the sermon is God’s power and grace, which Edward uses to give the audience one glimpse of hope at the end of the sermon. By stating that “you have an extraordinary opportunity…Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open” (33), he gives the audience more reason to convert back to God.
For example, he argues that “every unconverted man properly belongs to hell” (322). Right before he makes this claim, he quotes John 3:18, and right after, he quotes John 8:23. By bracketing his claim with direct quotes from the Bible, he provides evidence that defends his belief about where non-Christians are destined to end up. This pattern of justifying his arguments with biblical scriptures continues; for instance, when Edwards proclaims “All the kings of the earth, before God, are as grasshoppers . . . The wrath of the great King of kings, is as much more terrible than theirs, as his majesty is greater.” (328) he immediately quotes Luke 12:4-5. This provides validity to his claim that God’s wrath is infinitely more terrible than any earthly king. He goes on to expand on God’s powerful wrath and asserts that “Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear.” (329); he follows this up by quoting Ezekiel 8:18. Through once again following up his claims with a reference, Edwards proves that his argument of a non-pitying, wrathful God is biblically
He was completely oblivious to the true loving nature of God stated in John 3:16-17 “That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for us and whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Bible Hub, 1 John 3:16-17) He used a monotone when he gave his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” but he preached as if he was angry with the people as well. Edwards insisted that God was so angry that they were closer than they could have imagined from being thrown into the pits of Hell. The sermon may have been successful to some people, for those who imagined God dangling people over the fires of hell in no doubt ran to the altar to seek repentance. However, some may have even lost their faith altogether because they felt they stood no chance in the eye in such a wrathful God.
Taylor then describes God as soft, gentle, feminine and has an eye for beautiful things and great designs. Taylor imagines that God is both male and female, and that he or she resides in all human endeavors and not only found in heaven, but in all objects of nature and of human construction. This evidence shows of a twofold consciousness. Taylor sees God through the interplay of the masculine and the feminine, the sacred and the profane, the temporal and the eternal, and the conscious and the unconscious