Thunder, Lightning, Storms
No. 301
Happy to see this review of my book Thunder God, Wonder God: Exploring the Emblematic Vision of Jonathan Edwards in the latest edition of The Journal of Andrew Fuller Studies. See pages 95–97.
Lightning more commonly strikes high things such as high towers, spires and pinnacles, and high trees, and is observed to be most terrible in mountainous places; which may signify that heaven is an enemy to all proud persons, and that especially makes such the marks of his vengeance. Isaiah 2:12–17, “For the day of the Lord shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” - “Images,” no. 74
The extreme fierceness and extraordinary power of the heat of lightning is an intimation of the exceeding power and terribleness of the wrath of God. - “Images,” no. 33
The beams of the sun can't be scattered, nor the constant stream of their light in the least interrupted or disturbed, by the most violent winds here below; which is a lively image of what is true concerning heavenly light, communicated from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, to the soul. 'Tis not in the power of the storms and changes of the world to destroy that light and comfort; yea, death itself can have no hold of it. The reasons why the sun's light is not disturbed by winds is two-fold: first, the light is of so pure and subtle a nature that that which is so gross as the wind can have no hold of it; and second, the sun, the luminary, is far above, out of the reach of winds. These things are lively images of what is spiritual. - “Images,” no. 97
Thunder God, Wonder God: Exploring the Emblematic Vision of Jonathan Edwards