Common Themes in Early American Literature

This comparison of texts involves the common theme of the Sun in Edwards' "A Divine and Supernatural Light," and Taylor's "The Sun of Righteousness." Both works refer to the Sun literally as a tremendous source of light, but also figuratively, I believe, as spiritual light containing characteristics of God and His power. Edwards' writes, "As he that beholds the objects on the face of the earth, when the light of the sun is cast upon them, is under greater advantage to discern them in their true forms and mutual relations, than he that sees them in a dim starlight or twilight," in paragraph 13 under DOCTRINE. Beyond the literal brightness of the Sun, I find Edwards' gives the Sunlight the ability to rightfully judge and wisely discern between true and false. An ability other forms of natural light, like starlight, do not poses.
Likewise in the Taylor poem, he gives to the Sun spiritual qualities beyond its literal light. The Sun endungeons darkness underground (Line 5), and provides life (Line 23). The darkness may represent evil that God sits in dominion over, and the life the Sun provides may figuratively represent the new life gained in Christ of a born-again Christian. All other forms of light pail in comparison to the Sun along with countless other descriptions of the Sun's superiority and greatness. Taylor especially displays the representation of God or Christ in the Sun throughout his entire poem.
Perhaps because the Sun was so necessary for survival for early Americans it became symbolic of God and his grace and power, as it is reflected and repeated in the Literature of the day.