Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Language Analysis

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”.

Next, we see Edwards use of repetition and sound. He used polysyndetons - the use of coordinating conjunctions in a rapid succession. He uses the word “and” to keep the attention and focus on due to how many ands there are, there could be a multitude of outcomes that could result. “The waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back” (Edwards 6). He also uses anaphora – the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. “[N]othing to lay hold of to save [themselves], nothing to keep the flames of wrath, nothing of [their] own, nothing that [they] ever have done, nothing that [they] can do” to save them from anything God wants to happen to them (Edwards 6). His use of the word “nothing” burns into the Puritans’ brains that no matter what they do, they cannot change what God decides should happen. He also uses sound to his advantage. “[T]he fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God” focuses and highlights the meaning of what is being said (Edwards 6).

The ability to persuade the audience to think or act in a certain way is essential in

They help create Edwards’s view on providence. Edwards wrote, “you are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him infinitely more than ever a rebel did his prince.” In the first part of the quote, hyperbole makes God appear to have an intense passionate repulsion towards humans. The fact that His is also capitalized also subtly shows God’s importance. Edwards does not dare to mention God in lowercase words and undermine his greatness in any way. At the same time, Edwards makes sure to keep clear contrast between God and humankind. The same first part of the quote is a metaphor that compares humans to a snake. More importantly, Edwards claims God thinks humans are more repulsive than the worst snake in the world. In the second sentence of the quote, sinners and rebels are compared in a continued metaphor. Once more, humans are seen by God as worse than what they are compared to. In addition, using the word infinitely also continues hyperbole and adds effect. Edwards also wrote you again. It adds to keeping the sermon personal and interactive. Throughout the text, Edwards also makes several allusions to the bible. In one of these, he states, “Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them (217).” As an

Respected Puritan minister, Jonathan Edwards in his Sermon, “Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God (1781), Elaborates on the negatives of being a repentant sinner. Edward’s goal is to inform people that sinning can be dangerous. He adopts a serious tone in order to establish a constant fear within Sinners and Non Sinners reading. Using the heavy caution within his readers let him establish a successful Sermon with the help of examples.

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 write a famous sermon titles “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. In this sermon, sinners all over the world are targeted. They are being warned that god will stand sternly judging their actions. It is also seen in the sermon that the sinners’ punishments will be much harsher than they would think. In order to deliver these messages, Edwards uses three different tones; threatening, cautionary, and unsympathetic. These tones are formed when he uses specific words and phrases that represent those tones.

Reverend Edwards was a strong believer in religion being rooted in emotions as well as logic. A person should feel very strongly about religion instead of just knowing the way to heaven. Therefore he uses more pathos in his sermons than any of the other appeals. He uses imagery of fire in lines 18-23 to provoke a sense of fear which is an emotion appeal. For example, he says, “The wrath of God burns…” which appeals to a person’s sense of fear (Edwards 41). The thought of God’s burning anger should make those who have not become born again fear for what will happen to them if they die in their current state. He uses ethos in lines 119-120 which says, “...many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them…” (Edwards 44). The example shows that he uses his experience as a preacher and a born again Christian to tell the unbelievers in the congregation of the wonderful experience of becoming a born again Christian. He uses logos probably the least, but uses this rhetorical appeal nonetheless. For example, in lines 33-34 he says, “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 41). This explains through cause and effect that if you are not born again then you will go to hell which appeals to the listener’s logic. He uses all three appeals quite effectively in his sermon which helped him to get his point across to

Edwards use of repetition and diction to build up the concept that God is an angry one by mentioning, “Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation”. By choosing to repeat the word “yea” in the beginning of his statements, he is able to assure the audience that his perspective is right, which in turn influences them as his assertive tone establishes himself as a more credible character as he seems confident in his statements. Furthermore, the ambiguity when mentioning the sinners on earth, allows the audience to believe that they are not part of these statistics, in which he uses to make the people vulnerable as he references those in the sermon to be some of the many God is angry with. As a result of juxtaposing a much larger world to the people in the gathering, this enforces an idea that nobody is safe as even in their close proximity there are many who have earned God’s wrath. His use of repetition is also seen as he introduces “that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between

Edwards’s uses strong, powerful diction to clearly get his across to the spectators. Jonathan Edwards repetitively uses the word “omnipotent” to visibly tell his audience how powerful God is. Along with that, he repetitively uses the phrase “God’s wrath” along with words such as “fury, despair and destruction”. Edwards actually describes God’s wrath by commonly using words as dreadful, glowing, wickedness, black and vengeance. By the usage of these words and phrases, Edwards indicates that God is angered and furious of our actions. However to point out God’s generosity, Jonathan Edwards commonly uses the word “mercy”. By using the word “mercy”, Edwards indicates that since God made his worshipers, he is giving them an opportunity to repent and amend their ways or destruction is unpreventable. Mr. Edwards also uses words as “mourn, howl, hopeless and sober,” to specify the listeners reactions upon hearing Edwards’s sermon. Edwards use of influential words leave the spectators mourning and groaning in great despair. Edwards employs all these words through the emotional appeal of ethos. This is what causes a great impact upon the listeners at the church.

In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards created the emotion of fear by using imagery and figurative language to persuade his audience. He used imagery and figurative language so the wrath of God is more fearsome and gave you a mental picture of hell in your head.

Throughout Edwards’ sermon, he used an amount of metaphorical imagery to persuade his listeners to confess their

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.

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

Johnathan Edwards gave an example to what will happen to the sinners if they do not change. By talking about what the Bible says and how God will punish those that sin scared the audience a little. They know that they have sinned, now they know what will happen if they do not get right with God. It made the audience think of what will happen to them if they do not change.