Jonathan Edwards Purpose

Edwards instills fear in his congregation by threatening the wrath of God and what will happen if one does not omit their lives to Him. “So that thus it is, that natural men’ are held in the hand god over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it;” (102). Here Edwards uses sharp descriptions to show his congregation that any wrong move can put one in Hell, promoting the practice of religion, more specifically; his church. Edwards also writes and speaks very poetically in such a way that his sermons are delivered with an intense amount of imagery that it seems as if those in attendance are watching a movie. Comparing the earth to God’s hand and the mention of God’s wrath being a loaded bow that is ready to rain down on sinners at any moment, helps add the the fear and the image. Another way Edwards creates his atmosphere is by referring to the mass in front of him as ‘you’. When spoken to in such a personal manner one is more likely to be afraid or concerned about the subject as opposed to the sermon being delivered with a more general

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”.

Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan minister, preached a sermon in 1741 titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” His sermon is about the punishments the evil people will receive after death. Edwards uses the emotion of fear through the power of his words along with many syntactic techniques to influence his listeners to turn to God and save their long term souls.

Jonathan Edwards, a famous preacher in pre-colonial times, composed a sermon that was driven to alert and inject neo Puritanical fear into an eighteenth century congregation. This Bible based and serious audience sought after religious instruction and enlightenment. Through the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards offers a very harsh interpretation to humankind. Edwards utilizes various rhetorical techniques to evoke an emotional response in his audience and to persuade the members of his congregation that their wicked actions will awaken a very ruthless and merciless God.

Jonathan Edwards Sermon “ Sinners in the Hands of an angry god” contributed into the Great Awakening, showing that Hell was real, and whoever defied god was put down. Edwards used dark imagery to get his our heads, the meaning that everyone is predestined and anyone can be sent to hell. Edwards says in his sermon that “ God's enemies are easily broken into pieces, they are a heap of light chaff before the whirlwind”(2). Edwards hoped that the imagery and language of his sermon would awaken audiences to the horrific reality that he believed awaited them, should they continue life without their devotion to Christ? This made many people horrified and help start the great Awakening, making Christians more aware of the power of Christ, and increase their devotion to Christ.

Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.

Jonathan Edwards, a negative and realistic man, focused on how God is a judgemental god and sinners will be put to a painful death, they should be fearful. He says in the first few lines of his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit.” (Edwards, Pg. 23) Edwards implies that everyone deserves to be in hell and he goes on to say that God is an angry God and that no one had done anything to try to ease His anger. Edwards also played a large role in the Great Awakening. He wanted people to experience Christianity in an intense and emotional way. In his speech, he said, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (Edwards, Pg. 26) Edward’s speech was opportunity knocking at everyone’s doors. He influenced people to want to be saved in a way that made many fearful of what could happen to them if they weren’t saved or a child of God. Edwards believed that God set the world in motion, but was not active in everyone’s life. Edwards believed that God created the world and

Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is the epitome of a fire and brimstone sermon. Edwards was able to deliver this speech with force, power, and charisma. However this sermon effectively portrays Edwards’s own interpretation of man’s sinful nature and God’s wrathful nature even when read silently. Jonathan Edwards is capable of effectively communicating that his position as a reverend is a means of legitimizing his ability to interpret the bible and all of its scriptures. Edwards finds success in his speech by his use of vivid and violent imagery. By doing this Edwards is able to do two things, one convince his parishioners that as a man of God he has the authority to be an interpreter of the bible. He forces his

Edwards' creative choice of words that he uses describes the power of God and the terrible Hell awaiting sinners. These words easily infiltrate into the minds of his congregation and frighten them beyond belief. These choices of words and his use of such vivid images are mostly successful in their intent, to scare and put fear into his audience. Edwards held his audience locked up with his promises of eternal damnation if proper steps were not taken. The congregation felt the intense impact of his rhetorical strategies and lived on the fear of the power of God. In this way, he was able to keep his followers from sin and away from the fiery pits of Hell.

Edwards’ had a completely opposite way of conveying his message. His use of imagery, restatement, repetition, and biblical allusions helped him explain to his readers why they needed to be saved. His tone during his sermon was monotone and calm even though he was describing hell. Many people were terrified of his vivid descriptions of hell. In paragraph one, Edwards’ describes hell as “that lake of burning brimstone.” This is just one of his many descriptions of hell.

In the first document “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” Jonathan Edwards addresses many people in a sermon and tries to persuade them to change their ways. At one time during this sermon he says, “His wrath towards you burns like a fire.” When Jonathan says this it’s meant to show God’s

The period of the Great Awakening has truly revolutionized the morals and ethics that not many people are familiar with today. During this time, one sinful action resulted in automatic placement in Hell, and for that individual to endure in endless suffering and agony. Throughout Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, he attempts to instill fear into his audience by stating the consequences of sin for the mere purpose of preventing people from entering Hell. Therefore, through the use of tone shifts within his sermon, he successfully amplified his message and sparked fear to the people.

In the speech, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” the preacher uses a very extreme and hardcore tone in his words. To express what he means, he gave his congregation some imagery. As he tells them about us having an inevitable fate of burning in hell, he says that it is “ Nothing but the mere pleasure of God” that keeps us from falling into the gaping hole of Hell. This speech, spoken by Jonathan Edwards, strikes fear into one’s heart. With this fear, his attempt at making a point has succeeded.

This makes people fear God in a way that they want to be as loyal to him as possible. Anyone who feels threatened by death is sure to do whatever it takes to remain alive, especially if the other option is falling into hell. Later in the sermon, Edwards uses imagery to portray the wrath of god, saying, “The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course.” Edwards uses this simile to draw a picture for the congregants of how God can build up his wrath, and then all of a sudden release it all at once.

Edwards’ work was so effective because of its use of conscious and subconscious, verbal, emotional, and sensuous appeal (Cady). The emotional power throughout the sermon is created by the sheer amount of rich and versatile imagery (Cady). This original imagery was a work of art that created a truly poetic and artistic feeling (Cady). There are countless examples of imagery in Edwards’ sermon with the goal of persuading the audience to convert. To sum up, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” God has full control over and you are merely a little bug to him that can be dropped or squashed at any second (Cady). The goal of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was to stir with the readers emotions and to stimulate their soul, but to also reveal the purity within them (Cady). This sermon left a permanent mark on people, which either had people questioning their own faith, or giving them the will to convert immediately. Each and every word written in his sermon can be traced back to his personality, which had a major impact on his writing. Edwards’ polemicist personality made it easy for him to criticize the reader with crushing logic (Cady). He would face his fears and would not run away from his problems, and took what was thrown at him (Cady). This shows that Edwards truly believed in the message behind his sermon, and he