Described as a "thought provoking and biblical" essay on the trinity, Edwads cites scripture throughout to support his theological beliefs that our souls are made in the image of God, as is our understanding and will, and capacity for ideas and love. The differences between man and God lay in the varying degrees of perfection with, of course, God as the supreme manifestation. Edwards himself was a slave owner, and for much of his life had lived as a champion of the somewhat frenzied Protestant revival in New England during the 1730s. He experienced a change of heart in his attitudes toward discrimination, and eventually openly denounced the practice of importing slaves. He also took up ministering to a Native American tribe in Massachusetts after being dismissed from the pastorate. This "social awakening" in his later-life may have contributed to his work's new contemplations on ethics, harmony, and beauty, perhaps bringing him just a touch closer to perfection.