Examples Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

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 read a 6 hour long sermon talking about God’s wrath. Edwards is trying to emphasize how powerful God is and that people should fear him. The people listening to the sermon started to get emotional and frightened. They wanted to worship God and not provoke him in any way. Edwards tried to help people and give them advice on how not to go to Hell. People were fearful of the devil and did not want to feel the fiery gates of Hell. Edwards uses different types of language devices to help get his point across.

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.

Edwards makes God sound very powerful and threatening, scaring his audience into a change of

The author of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Jonathan Edwards, uses his words to develop a sense of displeasure with those who sin or do not follow in the path of God. He managed to obtain this by the use of symbolism to frighten the audience of the sermon. Edwards, clearly, has the impression that there is only one singular way to gain the audience's attention. His approach was to frighten the audience into the belief that without God, you will be condemned to Hell. Edwards states in his sermon, “There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is Hell’s wide gaping mouth

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.

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”.

During the 1700s people were really religious, it was their way of life, so Edwards used imagery throughout his homily. For example, in the first page paragraph four, he says "There are the black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm". He says this to frighten his audience, it puts an image in their head of what can happen to them in the afterlife. They obviously do not want to go to hell, so it captures their attention.

After Edwards presented “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, many people were extremely terrified. Jonathan Edwards gave the speech to bring to the eyes of his followers the fact that it was mandatory that they repented soon by using imagery, figurative language, and repetition. Edwards was very good at including imagery in

​In Jonathan Edward’s sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards uses fear and intimidation to persuade his congregation to escape the wrath of God. In the sermon he uses metaphors to gain control over the congregation. Another reason why Jonathan Edwards uses metaphors is to prove his point to the congregation. Edwards also links the spiritual world to the physical world of the listeners. He uses metaphors to dramatize human powerlessness. He states that human has much chance of keeping out of hell.

“Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering.” (Edwards) This was said by Jonathan Edwards during his famous fire and brimstone sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. This quote symbolizes that the path to hell is an easy one to go down. Edwards uses this detailed and honest way of speaking that both scares you and compels you to listen. However, Edwards used more than just imagery to hook you on his words, he used lots of figures of speech to get his point across. Jonathan Edwards goes about this by saying things that may sound harsh but grab your attention.

In "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Johnathan Edwards is trying to use scare tactics to scare people back into faith. At the time, most people went away with faith; during this sermon he's letting people know what will/is going to happen when they drift farther from God. He preaches to them in an urgent, persuasive tone by using strong language, metaphors, and powerful diction.

In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards delivers a powerful sermon to his congregation about the horrors of hell. Throughout the piece, the author explains there is no escape from “eternal destruction,” and one must join God to reach salvation (para. 27). Edwards uses dark, gruesome imagery along with gloomy diction in order to instill fear into the audience, and persuade them to more devoutly worship 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, 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