Examples Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

In the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards displays controversial viewpoints and ideas concerning heaven and hell. As Edwards speaks to the congregation he warns them of the misery and suffering they will face if they do not repent of certain sins. He also describes God as angry which probably struck fear into the hearts on many. To illustrate his own point that hell is unenviable without repentance Jonathan Edwards creates the idea of an angry God using intense similes, a harsh tone, and strong emotional appeal in “Sinners in the hand of an Angry God”.

Through the use of imagery and classical appeal of pathos, Jonathan Edwards effectively injects fear into his congregation of their destined fate. "The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back" (Paragraph 11). The use of

Imagery is used by Edwards to induce terror onto the congregation by illustrating the power of God on “wicked men” (para. 10). In the beginning of the excerpt, Edwards paints a picture of sinners ready to fall into the pit of hell, with only God’s will keeping them up. He describes it as such,

Alongside repetition, imagery is utilized by Jonathan Edwards to help his audience apprehend that God is preeminent. During the sermon, Jonathan Edwards affirms "There are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm and big with thunder..." Through the

In the works of Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” uses numerous persuasive techniques and biblical allusions. Edwards’ sermon lectures Puritans, people who strictly pursue to live by the bible, on how they are straying from the path of the bible. During his sermon, the Puritans were terrified of what he had said ,because every little sin each Puritan had committed they thought they were going to go to Hell. Edwards’ play on words, as well as his use of persuasive techniques, and biblical allusion convinced the Puritans that they were severely in trouble of going to Hell.

Jonathan Edwards’ passionate sermon, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” creates a state of fear to make “sinners” aware of their sinful state and the wrath of God that they will face sooner or later. In order to warn “sinners” of their future involving God, he approaches fear as a motivator by using metaphors to emphasize God’s disgust towards man, imagery to for the imagination to dwell upon and repetition to build guilt into his readers which helps him enforce his condemning tone.

The fear of eternal damnation turns people against one another when in life-threatening trials. God’s wrath is being contained upon them as these test occur. In “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” and “The Crucible”, Edwards and Miller use metaphors, imagery, symbolism, and allegory to display how they unveil their message with fear and persuasion.

Within the eighteenth century, Christians were going through the Great Awakening, a wave of religious enthusiasm that swept through the colonies in an effort to make an impact on the religion within the areas. In the sermon written by Jonathon Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he is trying to persuade nonbelievers into joining his religion in a way unused by many. To show nonbelievers the two altering sides of God based on what people believe and “they may imagine him to be so” (3), Jonathon Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” utilizes threatening tone, conveying repetition, and augmenting similes to express the fury and hopefulness of God.

In his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741), Jonathan Edwards claims that anyone who is not “born again” is a sinner and is waiting to be thrust down to hell in a state of endless misery and the only way to be saved from this is to become a Puritan. Edwards supports his claim of the Puritan religion being the only saving thing from damnation by explaining how hell is being prepared for those who are not “born again,” that any unconverted are in the hands of an angry God, and then concluding by saying to the people that they have the chance to be saved and live in a happy state, of they are “born again.” His purpose is to illustrate the woe that awaits for those who are not “born again” in order to persuade them to want to be

Edwards, Jonathan. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. In Literature of America, complied by Jan Anderson and Laurel Hicks, 19-25. Pensacola: A Beka Book, 2010.

Jonathan Edwards was one of the most famed evangelical preachers in the Age of the Great Awakening. He is best known for his most impactful sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards preached with fury and conviction of the All Great our God. He preached for the wanderers; those lost in their spiritual belief. Edwards uses a wide variety of figurative language and rhetorical techniques to urge unregenerate Christians to sanctify their lives and walk devoutly before God, using fear. During this time of recognition, renewal and self-reliance in one’s connection with God, Edwards’ sermon did nothing but illustrate the exact conception of the age of the Great Awakening.

Perhaps the first thing noticeable in Edwards’ sermon is his horrifying imagery of Hell and what happens when one doesn’t accept God into his or her life. On page eighty-eight it is stated “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead… and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink… and plunge into the bottomless gulf… and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of Hell, than a

Jonathan in his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (July 8, 1741), claims that the unconverted are hanging from the hands of God, and can be dropped off to the eternity of hell, his sermon is used to make the sinners be afraid and understand how the power of God is saving them, but it is only for his pleasure, unless if they return to Christianity. Edwards strengths his argument by using metaphors and imagery of a wrathful God to make the unconverted people afraid of being sinners and encourage them to have a relationship with Christ to be fully saved from falling to an eternity in the flames of hell. Edwards purpose is to start his sermon with such powerful use of visualization to provide fear to the sinners and give them a

Edwards uses imagery as a way to frighten his audience back into the pious ways of the Puritans. He uses darkly connotated words to vividly describe hell and the torment that it brings to appeal to the audience's emotions and senses. When referring to God sending the sinners to hell, there is a great deal dark images drawn in the readers mind to help them picture what they are doomed to. "God has so many different, unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending 'em to hell, that there is nothing to make it

Preacher Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God,” frightens the audience with vivid depictions of Hell and God’s wrath. Through the use of polysyndeton, asyndeton, and constant repetition, Edwards persuades the sinners in his congregation to turn towards God.