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In many religions, preachers are meant to serve as guides for their congregations by showing them a better way to live. In the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards goes to extreme lengths to save his followers from certain destruction. Edwards portrays the wrath of God towards those outside of His will in order to terrorize the audience into transforming their sinful natures.
1.Assertion: What is Edwards attempting to do as he describes the hell that awaits them? 2.Embedded Evidence: Select your best piece of evidence and place it in context. 3. Explanation: How does this quotation demonstrate how Edwards is utilizing fear of eternal damnation to persuade his followers to change their ways? Repeat Steps 2 & 3 with your second piece of evidence!
During his sermon, Edwards intends to instill fear in his audience through his menacing description of hell and God’s fury. He claims that, “there is Hell’s wide gaping mouth,” just waiting to consume the damned. Edwards’ personification of hell as a ravenous monster would scare his congregation as they contemplate their sinful acts and their consequences. The notion that such tortures await them in the afterlife would serve as a reminder that they must live within God’s good will or suffer for eternity.
Edwards continues his fear-mongering with the image of his brethren “hang[ing] by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it...” The fragility of this lifeline in the midst of such destructive hellfire demonstrates the tenuous grasp his followers have on eternal salvation. Despite his horrifying depictions of the audience’s possible fate, Edwards reminds them that hope still exists while they still live.
As the shepherd leads his sheep to safety, a preacher guides his followers to salvation. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards delivers a sermon convicting his parishioners of their sins. Edwards depicts the fiery wrath of God in order to create fear in those who are outside of God’s will and steer them back to righteousness.
1.Assertion: What is Edwards attempting to do as he describes the hell that awaits them? 2.Embedded Evidence: Select your best piece of evidence and place it in context. 3. Explanation: How does this quotation demonstrate how Edwards is utilizing fear of eternal damnation to persuade his followers to change their ways? Repeat Steps 2 & 3 with your second piece of evidence!
As the sermon progresses, Edwards develops elaborate descriptions of hell as he warns his audience of their impending doom. He terrifies his listeners by claiming their “most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain,” and that they will be “wholly lost and thrown away of God.” Once the Lord removes His mercy, He will ignore all of their pleas for redemption. Edwards compounds this fear by explaining how God will toss the sinners aside like they are worthless in His eyes.
In addition to losing contact with God, the damned will also face tortures “much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire.” This comparison of their souls to vile creatures in the hands of a much larger, more powerful being demonstrates the complete lack of control they will possess in the afterlife. This image of hell also clarifies the agonies Edwards’ followers will face for all eternity. Despite this grim outlook, Edwards provides his congregation with a sense of hope if they will heed his warnings.
Preachers help guide their followers and encourage them toward the path of salvation. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards preaches to his congregation and warns them of God’s impending wrath. Edwards describes the possible consequences of endless suffering for those living outside of God’s will in order to frighten them into living a life of righteousness.
1.Assertion: What is Edwards attempting to do as he describes the hell that awaits them? 2.Embedded Evidence: Select your best piece of evidence and place it in context. 3. Explanation: How does this quotation demonstrate how Edwards is utilizing fear of eternal damnation to persuade his followers to change their ways? Repeat Steps 2 & 3 with your second piece of evidence!
Edwards attempts to horrify the crowd by describing what tortures await them in hell. The terrifying images begin when he explains how “there is Hell’s wide gaping mouth open” and awaiting the souls of damned. By personifying the fate of the unredeemed in the afterlife, Edwards makes death and the agonies that await seem more vivid. This vision of the mouth of hell will rip them piece by piece as they are scorched and devoured for all eternity.
Following the description of hell’s mouth, Edwards then portrays the dangerous position in which the fallen find themselves. He further explains the magnitude of God’s power over his parishioners by displaying how God dangles their souls, “much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire.” This comparison between the unworthy and creepy crawlers demonstrates how the people’s sins make them repulsive in God’s eyes. Additionally, Edwards implies that God derives some pleasure in the torment of those who turned away from Him. Although it’s God’s hand that hold them over the hell-mouth, according to Edwards, it is also God’s hand that shows them mercy.