Taylor's Reliance On God's Grace example essay topic

Edward Taylor was a deeply religions man who allowed his inner struggles and ideas to flow through his pen onto paper, inviting the rest of the world to struggle with him. He incorporated many Puritan ideas within his writings that gave the reader a clue to the inner workings of his soul and mind. In his poem, "Meditation 38", Taylor invoked the use of a controlling metaphor to show Christ as an advocate before God. During the course of this poem, Taylor both refuted and confirmed a number of Puritan doctrines. In the first stanza, Taylor introduced the metaphor that carried throughout the poem which was that of a courtroom. For Taylor, heaven was the courtroom, and when our souls are freed of our bodies, we will be tried there.

Taylor used this metaphor throughout the poem to illustrate Christ as our advocate and judge. The beginning scripture Taylor used was I John 1: 1-2 which says "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the world". In stanza four, Taylor named the rest of the courtroom characters. God is the judge; the Holy Ghost is the registered; the angels are the sergeants; and all creatures are the witnesses.

The language Taylor used throughout the poem was also very representative of a courtroom. In the second line, Taylor made reference to the Law, which were the Ten Commandments. In the Bible, as well as the worldly courts, the Law was what men will be judged by, and Taylor says that God gave the Law "to regulate his [man's] Thoughts, Words, Life thereby" (3). In stanza two, Taylor referred to his deeds as black and white. That is how our deeds are often looked at while on earth.

They are either right or wrong. There is no gray area in between. In stanza three, Taylor made reference to the "golden Bench" which is God's court. In comparison to an earthly courtroom, God's has not been tainted by worldly ambition or deceit.

The idea of Habeas Corpus is introduced in stanza six, which is largely associated with the court system even today. The whole poem is riddled with courtroom language, which unifies the poem and allows the reader to sensually experience Taylor's central message. Taylor both confirmed and denied several of the major Puritan doctrines in this poem. The first is that of unconditional election. Puritans believed that God "freely and unchangeably ordained some men to heaven and some men to hell" (Puritan's Mind). In other words, man had no free will.

His course was predetermined, and if a person was one of the elect, he or she got a ticket to heaven. If not, there was nothing he or she could do to change it. Taylor seemed to be going against this doctrine in two places in this poem. The first is in the verse he used to preface the poem. I John 2: 2 says that Christ is "the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world". This verse says nothing about Christ saving only those who have been chosen beforehand.

He saves everyone. The second is in line 29 where Taylor says "nor doth refuse The Vilest sinner's Case that doth Him Choose". It says nothing in this section about Christ choosing the sinner. Rather, it is the other way around. It matters not how vile the sinner is, Christ will take the case if the sinner will but choose Him. Taylor did conform to more Puritan doctrines than he refutes.

The first is that of total depravity. The Puritans believed that because of the fall, man is intrinsically bad, and nothing he or she could do could please God. Man is corrupted with sin. Taylor reveals traces of this doctrine in the very first line when he says "Oh! What a thing is man, Lord, Who am I?" For Taylor, man was close to nothing and very undeserving of God's law. In lines 37 and 38, Taylor addressed the fallen nature of his own soul.

He admitted that his case was bad. His "sin is red" (38). Taylor also conformed to the idea of unconditional grace. Puritans believed that "if a man could accept Christ as his redeemer and believe in the mercy of God, then, if he was among the elect, he would experience the Grace of God, guaranteeing in the terms of the covenant contract that he will ultimately saved from damnation" (Puritan's Mind). While the Puritans believed this, it was not always clear when God was imparting Grace. This caused the Puritans to meditate daily and comb through every aspect of their lives for a sign of Grace.

They were wary of interpreting an illusion of Satan as an act of grace. "The aim of Puritan meditation then, was to set one's heart upon heaven as an indication that he had received the grace of God and was truly among the elect and destined for glorification in heaven" (Puritan's Mind). The whole poem has tones of unconditional grace. Because man is fallen, he does not deserve to have Christ come to his defense, but He does regardless. Stanza six especially addresses the idea of grace. Taylor says that it is Christ's honor to defend us, not the other way around.

He pays all the fines for the case and will not accept any payment. He " ll even plead "sub forma pauper is" for his impoverished clients. All of these references together with the rest of the poem imply Taylor's reliance on God's grace, even though he is undeserving. The last Puritan doctrine that is evident in Taylor's writing is that of perseverance of the saints. The very last two lines of the poem say "If Thou wilt plead my Case before the King: I'll Wagon loads of Love and Glory bring" (41-42). This is not a conditional statement, but rather a response to what Christ has already promised to do.

Taylor is only drawing from the Puritan idea of perseverance of the saints. The Puritans felt that because of the gift of grace, their only response could be good works and a trust in God's plan and divine nature. "Meditation 38" is largely representative of many of Taylor's poems. He is continually searching his life to find traces of God's existence and God's grace. In this poem, he addresses many of the doctrines that Puritans during his time believed in. He intertwines those with rich metaphors to portray Christ as man's advocate in the trial of his life.