Jonathan Edwards lived in two different eras of American history. His roots were in the Connecticut Valley Puritans who believed in hardline religious beliefs, while his upbringing was in the Age of Enlightenment which allowed him to think freely and use logic. Edwards’s Personal Narrative is an interesting blend of these ideas. This account gives a daily account of Edwards’s ideas on The Bible & God. His life was very different from that of Aaron Burr, his much more famous grandson. He was born during the Age of Enlightenment. Edwards lived only two years of his children’s lives (Chernow 277). However, his successes and failures seem to have had an enormous impact on Burr’s views on religion, politics, writing, and even life itself.

Edwards was a man whose mind was full of thoughts about religion, which he meticulously documented. His Personal Narrative begins with his childhood beliefs about religion, his father’s revival of spirituality, and his own religious practices. His worldview has a Puritanic foundation. Puritans were required to be faithful to God and to not let anything distract them. Edwards’s belief on the sovereignty God, one core Puritan principle, is an example of his traditional thinking style that many of his parishioners committed themselves to. Edwards claimed that his “mind” was full of objections to God’s sovereignty. On page 399 he continued, “Gods absolute sovereignty, and damnation, are what my mind seems to feel secure of, as well as everything that I can see with my eyes.” Edwards wouldn’t allow any doubts to come up because of the joy that worship gave him. Burr would hate the musings of God that came from his ancestor’s pen. (Chernow 278). Burr was determined to be a renowned figure in another field, even though his grandfather still lived the Puritan life. While he was raised with another reverend, his religious passions were not passed on to him. Burr was a representative of a newer stage of Age of Enlightenment. He wasn’t a stateman who created documents that would define the United States, but a politician determined to win power (Chernow 279). It is easy to sum up their differences by comparing Edward’s sermon entitled “A Divine and Supernatural light” and Burr’s commencement speech at Princeton as he graduates. Burr was briefly the head of Princeton (Chernow 277). Edwards’ sermon quotes scripture to say that “thou knowsest what God alone can teach you.” (Edwards 407) Burr’s speech discredits the grandfatherly thinking that Edwards cherished. (Chernow 277) Burr was a man who valued the honor of his position in society and aspired to the highest office in this country. It is counterintuitive to the logic and belief that God can be experienced as a feeling for Burr, which is also contrary to his grandson. One way to sum up the differences between these men is through the career mistakes that they made. Jonathan Edwards lived his whole life out of deep convictions and was supported in this way. His life was lived through his religion. Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton because he had been keeping his views hidden throughout his career. This was Edwards’s mistake, but Burr’s is an over-calculation. Edwards was so focused on his Bible and his brain that Edwards didn’t look up at the culture around him. Burr’s grudge against one of his fellow revolutionaries lasted so long that it burst in one unwise duel. Burr may not have made the same mistakes as his grandfather but he created his own. Like all revolutions, the end of the age of Puritan rule was not a quick event. It took many years for the Enlightenment to become culturally dominant thanks to writers like Edwards or Burr. Edwards’s thought was a traditional one, even though his grandson rose in prominence. However, these thoughts helped to build the foundation of how Americans would address the religious fervor that falls on the country and the reasoned thinking the nation was built upon. Works cited

CHERNOW, RON. Alexander Hamilton was a founding father of the United States. S.l. : HEAD of ZEUS, 2017. Print. Baym and Nina Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. W.W. Norton & Co. published a book in New York in 2012. Print.

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  • owenbarrett

    I'm Owen Barrett, a 31-year-old educational blogger and traveler. I enjoy writing about the places I've visited and sharing educational content about travel and culture. When I'm not writing or traveling, I like spending time with my family and friends.