Jonathan Edwards straddles two definitive eras of American history: the harsh beliefs of the Puritans who raised him in the Connecticut Valley and the free thought and logical reasonableness of Age of Enlightenment (Norton Anthology 396). . These ideas are blended together in fascinating ways in Edwards' personal narrative, a seemingly quotidian account of his ideas about the Bible and God, reflected in the most logical way he could conceive given the information available, and his upbringing as son and grandson. famous reverends. His life was at great odds with that of his even more famous grandson, Aaron Burr, born in the middle of the Enlightenment. Although Edwards lived only the second year of his offspring's life (Chernow 277), his accomplishments and mistakes appear to have had a considerable effect on the way Burr viewed religion, politics, and even writing herself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Edwards' mind was filled with religious thoughts that he meticulously documented. In his personal narrative, he begins to talk about his childhood views on religion, the awakening of the spirituality of his father's congregation, and his own reverent religious practices. His worldview is purely puritanical. The Puritans expected them to serve God as best they could, working tirelessly to do so, opposing anything that might distract them from their reverential mission. Edwards' beliefs in the sovereignty of God, one of the fundamental Puritan principles, demonstrate his old-fashioned way of thinking to which his parishioners were devoted. He says that his "mind was full of objections to the doctrine of the sovereignty of God," on page 399, but then goes on to explain: "The absolute sovereignty and damnation of God are that of which my mind seems to be assured." , as much as everything I see with my eyes. Edwards continually suppressed any doubt about his beliefs with the feeling that worship gave him. Burr would have abhorred the thoughts about God that seemed to flow from his ancestor's pen as if from his very heart. Aaron Burr actually didn't write much, because his "habits were never to trust himself on paper, if he could avoid it, and when he wrote, it was with great caution" (Chernow 278). While his grandfather remained wedded to the Puritan way of life, Burr strove for fame in a different field. Although he lived with another reverend growing up, the religious fervor of the rest of his family was not passed on to him. Burr truly embodied an even later stage of the Enlightenment, for he was not a statesman writing documents that would still define the United States today, but a politician determined to pursue power (Chernow 279 ). Their differences cannot be summed up more effectively than a comparison between Edward's sermon entitled A Light Divine and Supernatural and Burr's commencement address as he graduated from Princeton, a school that his great -father briefly presided over, titled Building Castles in the Air (Chernow 277). In his sermon, Edwards quotes scripture: “you know what only God can teach you.” (Edward 417). Burr's speech directly disregards the thought his grandfather cherished and demonstrated in his personal account, Building Castles in the Air, which "declaimed against wasting energy in vain dreams." (Chernow 277). As a man who valued his distinguished place in society and dreamed of the highest office in.