Comparing William Bradford And Jonathan Edwards In The Hands Of An Angry God

Author Diet Eman once said, “I was totally dependent on God. And he never failed me”, as she was able to overcome hardship through complete reliance on God, much like two other authors, William Bradford and Jonathan Edwards. William Bradford was the first person to write about the group of pilgrims to settle in Plymouth, and shortly became the founding governor. His work Of Plymouth Plantation pleaded for citizens in England to travel to the New World for new opportunity in the floundering settlement. Jonathan Edwards, an ardent pastor from Northampton, Massachusetts, served to convert passive and inattentive followers into passionate believers like himself. One of his most powerful sermons “In the Hands of an Angry God,” was published and

Both men urge their readers to trust in God as they follow their messages, whether it is to repent sin, or to move to the new world. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Jonathan Edwards tells his congregation to rely on God for salvation, saying, “The strongest have no power to resist him” (Edwards 210). Without any power in the hands of mankind, man is fully reliant on the graces and gifts of God to survive. In William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, he writes “they fell upon their knees and blessed God of heaven, who brought them over the vast and furious ocean, again to set them on their feet on the firm and stable earth.” (Bradford 75). After a long and grueling journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the pilgrims are thankful to God for His help to get them to the New World. Both authors are successful in emphasizing a reliance on God to their authors, in a passionate and energetic

In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Jonathan Edwards uses fear and human ignorance to the afterworld to compel his congregation to realize the extent of their wickedness and follow God’s message, saying about hell, “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you” (Edwards 215). This metaphor alludes to the human nature to avoid such danger by all means necessary, and the lack of power that humans have in the hands of God. However, William Bradford uses a more positive message to persuade his audience to embark on a journey to the New World. In Of Plymouth Plantation he says “were ready to perish in this wilderness but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, and let them therefore praise the Lord” (Bradford 76). Bradford presents God’s message in a more hopeful and charming way to urge his fellow countryman to embark on the adventure to the New World. This positive attitude towards God’s grace upon the pilgrims reflects that there is a special covenant between them and God, aiding in Bradford’s efforts to persuade others to travel to their settlement. While both messages are polar opposites from each other, each prove to be effective and influential at the