Johnathon Edwards

This is actually my second time reading this particular sermon by Edwards, and, as with most second readings, I gained a lot more from it than I did the first time. One of the first things I noticed this second time around, is how Edwards, more or less, prefaces the text with a foreshadowing of what the sermon is going to be centered around. The first time I read "A Divine and Supernatural Light..." I did not connect Edwards' opening about Peter and his Godly favor with the achievement of the divine light. It all "clicked" this time around.
I am also one of high Christian faith so this was more than just an assigned reading. I am sad to say that when I first read this my Junior year of high school I made the mistake of approaching it as any text, and not a sermon that was preached. After reading it this time, I found a reading of the sermon on the internet and listened to it. It was amazing the difference it made and really opened my eyes to what a "poet" Edwards was. It is evident how intouch with his faith and with God he really was... a visionary, so to speak.
I also found Edwards "doctorine" to be effective because he speaks to his congregation as a well educated group of individuals. I percieved some of the earlier text of the period to be written by authors who seemed to consider their audience uneducated. He makes it very easy to follow, comprehend, and most importantly, adhere to, by aligning his sermon in step-by-step "instructions." Furthermore, quoting so many verses adds to the credibility of his sermon and his career. Overall, this sermon was amazing, from a Christian standpoint, as well as an educated individual's standpoint.