God
God is naturally the primary subject of all of Whitefield's sermons. This is a difficult character to understand, however, because God is contained conceptually within the individual's imagination. In a sense, people can only imagine God. As powerful and perfect as they picture him, this is how they will govern their own behavior, so the very exercise of describing God is a challenge of integrity. Whitefield endeavors throughout his sermons to provide biblical and historical reference for how people have imagined God in the past, over the course of human history. He uses this evidence to gently correct his audience's misperceptions of the character of God as well as to give hope to those who are not certain they believe. In this way "God" becomes the standard by which the congregation agrees to live.
The Believer
Whitefield is preaching primarily to people who are already Christians. He is concerned with the maintenance and growth of someone who has already decided to pursue Christ. In this way the Christian is anyone who agrees that Jesus is the standard. Whitefield devotes his sermons to teaching the Bible and interpreting his own life according to that book, providing yet another, lesser example for the Christians to follow.
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve appear throughout Whitefield's sermons. They are types for the human. In the mythology of Christianity, Adam & Eve are supposed to be the first humans, which means they represent something essential about what it means to be human. In sermons like "Christ the Believer's Husband," these two archetypal figures are used to describe the nature of marriage. Whitefield is using yet more examples of individuals to inspire the population of his congregation to draw more specific conclusions about themselves in comparison to the examples.
Jesus Christ
Whitefield makes a distinction between the person of Jesus Christ and of God. While God remains above and superior and mysterious, Christ is a historical person. Whitefield teaches his congregation that Jesus was fully God and fully man, making him a paradox of symbolic value. In this way Jesus represents the link between the human and the divine. He fully realized his potential in accordance with God's desire, providing humanity with the ultimate example. He is the type of the savior, which is supposed to be the goal of every Christian.
