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Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God By Jonathan Edwards

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Religion has been a founding factor in colonization since the beginning of colonial expansion. Sermons given by preachers during colonial settlement were written to convince, convert and cause contrition within congregations, especially during the first Enlightenment. During this time, church and religion were being overpowered by science and technology discoveries. These newfound expositions caused panic within clergy members across colonies, spreading a surge of ghastly preachings to ultimately terrify congregations back into concordance with God. Jonathan Edwards, a pastor of a church in Northampton during the mid 1700s and a profound speaker of God, gave the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” to convince his listeners to repent …show more content…

He tells his congregation and listeners that “there is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one moment, out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God” as evidence that though they themselves have caused their damnation, God is who decides when they fall to their doom. Hell and the Devil are always ready to accept sinners into their pits for they are “prepared, [and] the fire is made ready...to receive them,” but Edwards repeats the inability of people to fall to the Devil without God’s permission. He touches on the idea that souls are owned, and that every soul is under God’s power and God’s will. By using massive amounts of imagery, Edwards creates a picture similar to that of a puppet on a string, emulating the idea that with one small decision the fates of millions could be destroyed. Edwards stresses God’s powerful and omnipotent judgement was an effect of his wrath, and continuously mentioned this wrath to instill panic in his listeners. Besides repetition, Edwards exclaims that the wrath is more than just an anger; he states that it is an all encompassing anger, an everlasting anger, and has not been completely revealed. This mysterious wrath, Edwards states, encompasses all the pain of the world and is poured out onto the unrepentant, otherwise known as the souls within the listening congregation. His …show more content…

He repeats the idea that God’s everlasting wrath is continuously omitted onto his people, bringing them to their knees. This anger is thrown onto the people without pity everyday, and Edwards knows that bringing it to the attention of the people will keep them close to God. While they are damning themselves to Hell, God is continuously disciplining his people under his wrath. He inflicts pain on the people, and with Edwards’ constant reminders, these are enough to scare them into repentance and good deeds. The people are afraid of pain and suffering, and God’s wrath is the essence of their pain, but Edwards convinces the congregation that they deserve what they are put under if they do not repent. The continual mention of this wrath causes a panic in his listeners, stirring up thoughts and needs to repent and be

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This sermon, delivered by Jonathon Edwards, is one of the most renowned throughout the time of the Great Awakening. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was effective and persuasive in nature, so much that it convinced several individuals to convert and repent for their sins. Although Edwards was a theologian and preached among several of his faith, it was not the main factor of the sermon’s appeal; however, the literary contents were and it contributed to the sermon’s credibility as well as its beauty. The main factors of this appeal are the styles in which he writes, the tone in which it was written in, and the content of the sermon.

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Jonathan Edwards achieves the tone of his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by using imagery. Edwards explains to his audience that unless they find salvation, God is the only one keeping them out of “the pit.” He succeeds in making his audience want to find salvation by planting images in their heads such as, “the bow of God’s wrath is bent, and injustice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow.” By saying this to the audience, he has strengthened the fear of God that is already prevalent in the Puritan religion. God’s disappointment in humans is expressed when he says, “you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.”

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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is a Puritan sermon from the eighteenth century during the Great Awakening. During this time, Puritans had strayed from the church due to the church’s strict guidelines and regulations and begun to embrace more secular thought. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, was written to motivate people to join the newly refined church that embraced these secular thoughts. Jonathan Edwards uses rhetorical devices throughout his sermon to show God’s wrath on sinners and to instill the fear of God in Puritans. Jonathan Edward’s was a well respected clergyman of eighteenth century New England.

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In the "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards, he claims that those without God will suffer. Throughout his sermon he uses imagery and repetition. By using imagery, it helps the reader understand his persepective and have a better idea of what is happening. Edwards states, "... it is a great furnance of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath..."

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He makes it crystal clear that the recklessness of those that choose the slippery slope that is their lives will lead to an abysmal fate. This should incite fear and anxiety into the hearts of his listeners. Following these warnings about God’s wrath is his central theme that nothing keeps wicked men ouf of Hell but the mere pleasure of God (Edwards). This theme resonates throughout his sermon as he

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He appeals to the congregation when he says “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…” by displaying how strong and powerful God really is. He wanted the people to picture this gruesome image that describes how weak people are in comparison to God’s power. Edwards make God seem merciless when He deals with sinners of the congregation, and wants them to fear God’s punishment against those who wrong Him. He begins to end his sermon by saying “…a day wherein Christ has flung the door calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners…”. He said this to appeal to unconverted men ethically and emotionally by describing how Christ is calling for the people of the congregation to return to him and recant all their sins.

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Edwards uses repetition a number of times in order to further stress his ideas. Throughout the sermon Edwards continues to warn the listeners of “The wrath of God…” (88). The purpose of repeating this phrase is to over stress the concept that God has the ability to cause mass harm at will. The wrath is said to not be unleashed out of sheer pleasure by God. Because of this God must be feared and respected, especially since he is angry.

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