Often in Sermons ministers/pastors persuade their audience to behave in a spiritual or moral fashion. Such is the case in “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” by Johnathan Edwards where he says “sinners should repent for their sins or burn in the eternal pit of hell. If sinners repent, they will receive eternal life.” God destroys sinners, but is merciful to the repentant. Edwards wanted to impact his audience by appealing to the fears pity and vanity. Edwards had a powerful impact on his Puritan audience because the use of a cautionary tone, explicit imagery, and vivid figurative language.
Edwards had a powerful impact on his audience because of his cautionary tone. For example, “we find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth… thus easy is it for God when he pleases,
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For example, “Arrow ready made on a string drunk with your blood” (p.6). This form of explicit imagery shows how the arrow that is already made is ready to travel through your skin causing it to be drenched with your blood. Another example of explicit imagery is Edwards saying, “… and stands calling, and crying with a loud voice” (p.11). This use of explicit imagery shows how sinners finally find the time to praise and ask God for forgiveness crying aloud doing their all to repent so they won’t be cast down to hell.
Moreover, Edwards had a powerful impact on his audience because of his form of vivid figurative language. For example,” Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open”(p.11). This reveals how a door and mercy are similar. The door open and closes just as well as with mercy, you give in and give out, but both let you through once you enter and beg for mercy (give in). Furthermore Edwards uses vivid figurative language by saying, “, and justice directs the bow to your heart” (p.6). This also reveals how Edwards personifies justice to make the sinner scared and