American Literature Exam 1
"A true sense of the divine & superlative excellency of the things of religion; a real sense
of the excellency of God, & Jesus Christ, & the work of redemption, [...] He that is
spiritually enlightened truly apprehends & sees it, or has a sense of it. He does not
merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a sense of the gloriousness of
God in his heart. There is not only a rational belief that God is holy, & that holiness is a
good thing; but there is a sense of the loveliness of God's holiness. There is not only a
speculatively judging that God is gracious, but a sense how amiable God is upon that
account; or a sense of the beauty of this divine attribute." correct answers Author:
Jonathan Edwards
Title: A Divine & Supernatural Light
Date: 1733
In this sermon, Edwards is saying that the divine light is not a physical sense, but rather
a supernatural sense. He is also reminding everyone that God is the greatest glory and
should be praised as the ultimate creator.
"Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, & to tend downwards with great
weight & pressure towards hell; & if God should let you go, you would immediately sink
& swiftly descend & plunge into the bottomless gulf, & your healthy constitution, & your
own care & prudence, & best contrivance, & all your righteousness, would have no
more influence to uphold you & keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to
stop a fallen rock." correct answers Author: Jonathan Edwards
Title: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Date: 1741
Edwards references religion & science in this sermon. The science in this passage is
the principles of gravity and laws of motion, there is a force and its reaction. He uses
fear to create suspense. It is meant to "wake up" everyone & bring their attention to the
fate that their souls may face in God's hands.
"There is wonderful resemblance in the effects which God produces, and consentaneity
in his manner of working in one thing and another, throughout all nature. It is very
observable in the visible world. Therefore 'tis allowed that God does purposely make
and order one thing to be in an agreeableness and harmony with another. And if so,
why should not we suppose that he makes the inferior in imitation of the superior, the
material of the spiritual, on purpose to have a resemblance and shadow of them? We
see that even in the material world God makes one part of it strangely to agree with
another; and why is it not reasonable to suppose he makes the whole as a shadow of
the spiritual world?" correct answers Author: Jonathan Edwards
Title: Images of Divine Things
Date: 1728
, Jonathan Edwards uses typology to interpret the spiritual meaning of the natural world
and its processes: the types (images, or shadows) of antitypes (divine things)
"So they left that goodly and pleasant city, which had been their resting place near
twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things,
but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits."
correct answers Author: William Bradford
Title: Of Plymouth Plantation
Date: 1630s-50s
Bradford is saying that although the pilgrims are leaving their home & going to an
unknown place, they know that God is guiding them & heaven is their one true home.
"[...] a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves, and a turkey." correct answers
Author: William Bradford
Title: Of Plymouth Plantation
Date: 1630s-50s
Bradford is listing all the animals that Thomas Granger, a young servant, had sexual
intercourse with. Granger & all the animals were killed as punishment.
"Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts
and wild men? And what multitudes there might be of them they knew not. Neither could
they, as it were, go up to the top of Pisgah, to view from this wilderness a more goodly
country to feed their hopes; for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upwards
to the heavens) they could have a little solace or content in respect of any outward
objects." correct answers Author: William Bradford
Title: Of Plymouth Plantation
Date: 1640s-50s
This passage starts with a rhetorical question. The ocean and wilderness are a type of
the desert and the antitype is the exodus story. Bradford does not see a promised land
but is hopeful it will turn out okay, they know their final destination is heaven.
"Then my heart began to fail: and I fell aweeping, which was the first time to my
remembrance, that I wept before them. Although I had met with so much affliction, and
my heart was many times ready to break, yet could I not shed one tear in their sight; but
rather had been all this while in a maze, and like one astonished. But now I may say
Psalm 137:1, "By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sate down: yea, we wept when we
remember Zion." There one of them asked me why I wept. I could hardly tell what to
say: Yet I answered, they would kill me. "No," said he, "none will hurt you." correct
answers Author: Mary Rowlandson
Title: A Narrative of the Captivity & Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
Date: 1682
Rowlandson is using Psalm 137.1 of the Israelites crying by the river as a antitype &
comparing herself to the scripture as the type, because she also cried at the thought of
dying & leaving her home behind. She uses the Scripture to comfort her and try to
understand her situation.
