Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

Often in Sermans writers persuade their audience to behave in a spiritual or more fashion. Such is the case in Jonathan Edward’s “Sinner’s in the Hand of an Angry God” where he believes that sinners should change their ways and follow the Lord if they want happiness. Edwards wanted to impact his audience by appealing to their fears and pity. Edwards had a great impact on his Puritan audience because of his cautionary tone, dreadful imagery, and symbolic figurative language.

Throughout "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", Jonathan Edwards illustrates his harsh tone through the use of repetition and imagery. In his sermon, the word "wrath" is repeated constantly to allude to how unsympathetic God is with sinners. Edwards emphasizes that sinners will go to hell and believes that they deserve to burn in hell. By emphasizing on the word "wrath" he also believes that sinners do not need sympathy, for they are the ones who wronged god and will burn in hell for their mistakes. Edward conveys a harsh and direct tone through the use of imagery in his sermon. He states, "The God the holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire abhors

Jonathan Edwards, a preacher during the American Enlightenment period, was mostly known for his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The Enlightenment, an eighteenth-century movement distinguished by the belief in the power of human reason and by advancements in political, religious, and educational doctrine. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was written as a response to the Puritans losing their faith because of the new scientific theories and emphasis on human reason that contradicted the word of God. Jonathan Edwards wrote the sermon to persuade the Puritans that lost faith, by threatening and warning them of the wrath of God. He used this tactic to convince the perplexed Puritans that continuing to sin would guarantee their condemnation to hell.

On October 5, 1703, in East Windsor Connecticut, Timothy and Esther Edwards welcomed their new son, Jonathan Edwards, into the world. From a young age, Jonathan was provided with an excellent education from a highly qualified individual - his father was a minister and a college prepatory tutor. Jonathan Edwards was accepted at Yale college just before he turned thirteen. He was interested in a wide variety of studies including natural science, the mind, the scriptures, and theology. He graduated from Yale in four years as valedictorian and obtained his masters three years later. Unable to accept the “horrible doctrine” (Edwards), of predestination, Edwards finally found peace and accepted this controversial teaching in 1721. He went on to assistant pastor a large church in Northampton with his grandfather. The same year, he married Sarah Pierpont whose piety he had long admired (..). Two years later, when his grandfather passed away, Edwards became sole minister of the Northampton congregation. However, after many years of converting the lost and participation in the Great Awakening as a key preacher, his congregation began to weary of his intense sermons and his habit of calling out sinner by name from the pulpit. However, his most famous sermon was first delivered in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8th, 1741 and was entitled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Edwards’ use of rhetoric in this message has been admired

7a. In the sermon, “from Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God”, by Jonathan Edwards, there is passion within the text that he believes strongly about the multiple tenets of Puritanism, one of the Puritan philosophical beliefs can be seen as Backsliding. As explained, it would not really matter if compared a person who strayed from the path or a person who has “reformed life in many things, and may had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in [their] families, and closets, it is nothing but [God’s] mere pleasure that [kept] them from being swallowed up in everlasting destruction” (Edward 108). Even though an prestigious church member respects and have an all love towards God, there is no confirmation that one can be truly safe from His wrath. Edward’s sermon brought on, and is repeated of, that people should be aware of their situation in the eyes of God, with metaphors, and a literal sense, the dangers a person could face, and only to be saved through an Irresistable Grace, a slight opening in which one could be saved from their damnation, by denying the call of their true nature. The warning of Backsliding inside the sermon comes from the his own belief that no one is perfectly safe from God, for there is the chance backing away from their beliefs, tempted to disobey, or fall out of place, because in the eyes of Jonathan Edwards, it is but everlasting wrath to everyone.

Furthermore, his sermon Edwards provides several similes to scare the audience. He states, "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell;" this comparison shows that our sins are plenty enough to punish us. Furthermore, people are ignorant and don't realize that with all these wicked actions they are directing their future into hell. This is not the only simile, he includes "The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire". This comparison shows that God is saving us from an eternity of fear and despair. Edwards' statement does not mean God does not love his followers, however sins are weighing down on his decision that can end with a terrible end.

“The arrows of death fly unseen” (Edwards 433). This excerpt is drawn from a sermon written in 1741--by Jonathan Edwards--a theologian of Puritanism during the Great Awakening. He had strong believes—as made obvious in the sermon—that will be heard by his following. In his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," the congregation has the qualities of narrow-minded and unaware followers of Gods army seeming to not know the consequence for reversion—spiritual death. The congregation's belief in God illustrates Edwards theme, straying from God's grace can happen, but as Christians, backsliding should be recognized, and one should continue towards the path of righteous. His imagery within the sermon convicts the listeners, using their senses to evoke their spiritual immortality. Which then he connects to his theme, using many examples from the Bible and symbolism, metaphors, and similes.

Edwards references God multiple times to implant the fear of higher power over the feeble hearts of mankind. Edwards also describes how God could hold a sinner over the fire like a “dangling spider over the fire”. A spider metaphor is effective in making individuals regret for killing creepy insects. It makes the individual reflect on themselves and feel the suffering of killing an insect. There is repetition of the word “nothing” in the last paragraph that makes the listeners feel resentment and sadness because there is no way that they will earn God’s forgiveness. Edwards want his listeners to fear God by creating a demeaning atmosphere in his

The authors of both texts use strong words that describe their text, and theme. Both texts compare in style and theme, but they also contrast as well. The two authors Jonathan Edwards and Nathaniel Hawthorne have good styles but Jonathan Edwards style is more effective.

One image Edwards uses to develop his message is comparing the Puritans to an insect. He says God holds us over hell, like one holds a spider. Edwards uses a simile when he says “his [Gods] wrath towards you burns like fire”(page 89). He also uses a hyperbole saying that “you are ten thousand times more abominable in his [Gods] eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours”(page

Jonathan Edwards was a remarkable priest who was treasured by many of his converts until he lost them for a blunder he made in the 1700’s. This famous man was born on October 5, 1703, in East Windsor, Connecticut to a reverend and his wife. Edwards was the only son of eleven children and was gifted at an early age with observation and exposition. He was accepted into Yale University at age thirteen and stayed there for two years to study theology and he was continuously attempting to perfect himself. Jonathan Edwards married his wife, Sarah Pierpont, in 1727 and two years following he succeeded his grandfather, Reverend Solomon Stoddard, at his church. Edwards presented his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God on a Wednesday afternoon on the eighth of July 1741 (Turley, Stephan). This famous sermon that he presented to his pupils was filled of ethos, pathos, and logos that he used to influence his audience (Levine, Robert).

A Puritan preacher during the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edward gave many powerful sermons to point out various Puritan beliefs. In his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, he emphasizes man’s innately evil human nature, the doctrine of the elect versus the damned, and God’s wrath. To begin with, Edwards’ first point reveals the Puritan belief that everyone enters the world corrupt and must utilize their time on earth to try to become virtuous. He explains to the Puritans that their “wickedness makes [them as] heavy as lead, and to tend downwards…towards Hell” (41). Without any attempt to find the path to Heaven, their “guilt … [will be] constantly increasing”(41). Many Puritans did not prefer to have this guilt, so they would use every aspect of their life to praise God and endeavor to please Him.

Well respected puritan minister, Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”(1741) tries to elucidate all the consequences that occur in the afterlife if you’re a sinner. Edwards purpose of this sermon is to address the Puritan society and congregation the repercussions that can come from being sinful. He formulates a desperate tone in order to reach his audiences internal conflicts with the Puritans and their sin. Edwards supports his claim by using logos, ethos, and pathos to appeal to the readers and for the audience in the story to betray sin.

In the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards utilizes repetition, imagery, and personofication to cause fear and explain what happens when God is provoked by disobedient followers.

Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan theologian, philosopher, and preacher whose sermon focused on saving unrepentant sinners from hell. In his sermon, Edwards forced his congregation to envision an angry Lord dangling people over a fire.