"A Divine and Supernatural Light" by Jonathan Edwards

In “A Divine and Supernatural Light,” Jonathan Edwards describes the spiritual light as knowledge that is directly received from God and not from natural means such as rational thinking or physical sensation. In the sermon, Edwards’ use of imagery to describe the spiritual light gives the audience a better understanding of what the spiritual light is and how God utilizes reason to convey spiritual knowledge. Edwards uses imagery throughout the sermon to convey a deeper understanding of his points. In the sermon, Edwards explains that the spiritual light cannot be achieved by rational understanding or hearsay; the spiritual light is something that is felt in the heart as pleasure. Edwards states, “There is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness.” A person can reasonable believe that honey is sweet by its use as a sweetening substance or the fact that it attracts ants. However, only someone who has tasted honey knows the unique sweetness of honey, a taste that is different from sugar, another sweet substance. Edwards also points out that though the spiritual light cannot be derived from reason, God utilizes man’s reasoning abilities to convey divine truths. He associates reason with the use of “our eyes in beholding various objects, when the sun arises, is not the cause of the light that discovers those objects to us.” Without the spiritual light, the use of our eyes or our reason cannot visualize the divine truth. Edward also associates God as the Sun that shines this light, illuminating the divine objects so that they can be perceived by the eyes. The use of imagery in Edwards’ sermon allows that audience to better understand Edwards’ claims by giving the audience a visual interpretation of how spiritual knowledge is perceived through the heart as an inner feeling of delight and how the spiritual light is conveyed with the use of reasoning.