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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

1. In one or two sentences, briefly define the historical context of Edwards speech. What
does Edwards hope to accomplish with this sermon? Define his purpose.
The Great Awakening is a period of religious revival where people begin to awaken as
they begin to remember the existence of God, being born again. As a preacher,
Jonathan Edwards delivered many sermons hoping sinners of all kinds would convert.
Edwards believes the world is full of sin and that mankind only survives because of
Gods mercy. In order to be persuasive, he uses figures of speech to emphasize the
severity of being a sinner and to allow his audience to not only be able to hear of the
terrifying consequences in hell, but also visualize them.
2. What does Edwards mean by natural men? How do you know? Describe his primary
audience.
Edwards describes the human population, with no specification of which man, by
referring to them all as natural men. The first human creation God makes is a naked
man, Adam, whom is at its most exposed and vulnerable state. Though Adam is given the
decision to obey or disobey God, he chooses to rebel against him. Because of Adams
failure to obey God, all men are born as sinners. Edwards later preaches that natural men
deserve the fiery pit and are already sentenced to it, referring that men are born to go to
end up in hell. His audience was a group of people that were once taking the existence of
God for granted, and never realizing that their mere survival on the Earth is because of
God. Natural men are those who have yet to be awakened.
3. In the first paragraph, appease means to pacify; using this definition as a contextual
clue, approximate the meaning of abate.
To pacify is to calm down, therefore abate most likely means to decrease.
4. In the second paragraph, Edwards begins three clauses with there is. This technique is
anaphora. Why does he use this repetitive structure?

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Edwards uses the technique, anaphora, by repeating the three clauses with there is. This
repetition is used to emphasize not only the existence of a terrifying hell right below
Earth but also describing the fact that there is actually no one preventing you from
falling into a deep fiery pit, except the support from Gods hands.
5. Consider the italicized clause in the following sentence: That world of misery, that lake
of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. What purpose does the clause serve
in the sentence? Can you find other appositives in the sermon?
The surrounding commas allow the reader to stop and think for a few moments to think
about what has just been preached. Between the pause is a descriptive appositive of
additional imagery that is used to allow Edwards audience to visualize the intensity of
hell through a metaphor of it being a lake of burning brimstone.
Other appositives in this sermon include Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God,
the earth would not bear you one moment, for you are a burden to it and 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.
6. Consider the following clause:you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and
plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and
prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more
influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell As Edwards lists items, he uses the
conjunction and before each one. The technique of repeating conjunctions in close
succession is polysyndeton. What is the rhetorical effect?
The rhetorical effect is to place emphasis on the consequences against any nonbeliever. It
is not only the nonbeliever sinking into hell, the nonbeliever is plunging towards the pit,
and any deed of good done on Earth is overpowered by lack of the belief in God and
there is no preventing the fall into helland it goes on. The consequence is not just one,
but many.

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7. Consider the following sentence: Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth
would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you;
the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does
not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not
willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly Why do you think
Edwards uses semicolons to connect the series of independent clauses rather than
dividing them into separate sentences? Why does he repeat not willingly?
He constantly uses semicolons to connect independent clauses to make a group of brief
clauses into a long endless sentence at which is a size of a paragraph. After each
independent clause, there is another one following right after to torment the audience
with what seems like an endless sermon of specific consequences for every sin made in
their current lifespan.
8. How does he develop the simile in paragraph 5? Discuss the power of the imagery. Why
does he use it?
Edwards develops a simile in paragraph 5 by weaving together every day unavoidable
disasters men face with the wrath of God. The use of recognizable calamities allows the
audience to visualize how frightening it would be to anger God. Edwards wants to reveal
to the natural men that God exists and is merciful towards us, despite the countless
times God is not prioritized or recognized for his deeds.
9. Describe the figurative language and images in the subsequent three paragraphs. Do you
notice a progression? What point is he making through this imagery?
In paragraph 6, the bow of Gods wrath is being spared on sinners by merely just a
moment. Just like an arrow, within one short effortless release of the arm will the arrow
be capable of piercing through flesh. In paragraph 7, God is holding onto man like an
insect being hovered over fire. While in paragraph 8, there is a detailed description of the
fiery pit and man hanging over the flames by a slender thread. As each paragraph

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proceeds, the imagery gets darker and more terrifying. Gods mercy for a sinner can only
last for so long before he releases his hands of safety. Edwards purpose in using this
imagery is to scare the sinners into converting for the wrath of God is to be feared.
10. Figure 1 is a model of the Aristotelian appeals, the Rhetorical Triangle/ According to
Aristotle, effective tests appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos. Describe the nature of the
appeals Edwards employs.
Edwards appeals to ethos by quoting a text from the bible at the beginning of his sermon.
He uses outside facts from a Bible which is well known and studied by many of the
people. Edwards also appeals to logos by basing his sermon on reality of God and the
existence of hell. The only way to be saved from hell is to believe and have faith in God.
Though he uses both logos and ethos, Edwards appeals to pathos the most. Throughout
the sermon, he is constantly using figures of speech to describe consequences of hell to
force the audience to be fearful.
11. Tone is the technique by which the author conveys his attitude toward his subject.
Identify Edwards tone. List some words or phrases that help create the tone. Does the
tone change? Where? How do you know?
Edwards tone during this sermon is an angry tone. In paragraph 3, he bluntly states You
are probably not sensible of this. His straight forward and harsh descriptions to his
audience show that he is doubtful of mankind and their lack of understanding of a
dangerous reality they seem too asleep to realize. Near the end, Edwards begins to
speak of an extraordinary opportunity, where the tone begins to sound hopeful.
Suddenly the phrases, are now in a happy state with their hearts filled with love to
Him, are more optimistic.
12. Edwards intended his sermon, a speech, be heard rather than read. What details make it
particularly conducive to hearing? Contrast them to texts meant to be read.

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The uses of first person pronouns suggest that Edwards was preaching this sermon to
specifically you, or perhaps any person listening to the sermon. Reading certain phrases
like Your wickedness make you, as it were, heavy as lead, and to rend downwards with
great weight and pressure towards hellwere it not for the sovereign pleasure of God,
the earth would not bear you one moment, for you are a burden to it, would not have the
same threatening effect if it were preached out loud. The negative and dark words like
wickedness, downwards, hell, and burden are all powerful words that will express more
power if spoken out loud with anger. Texts like Their foot shall slide in due time
from the bible Dueteronomy 32:35, should be read because of its lack of emotional
connection to the audience.
13. Edwards sermon is persuasive. Although he conveys an argument, how is his text
persuasive? Is it effective? How do you define a persuasive text?
Edwards sermon is persuasive in that he appeals to pathos. His use of biblical allusion of
hell cause the audience to be more focused with the problem since they recognize and
have probably heard of hell. A persuasive text includes supportive statements that are
reasonable to follow whether if it is through threat, sincerity, or reason. If the person
begins to follow, the text is considered persuasive.
14. Many in his congregation were said to have fainted and cried out as he delivered his
sermon. What parts of the sermon do you believe might have evoked such a response?
Why?
The love God gifts to men is taken for granted. He is their savior and their only hope for
survival. Men live on Earth, and believe every magnificent deed theyve done was
because of them. Little do they realize that every achievement they do was because of
God. Their presence on Earth was because of God. Everything they own is because of

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God. When the audience finally begins to realize how selfish theyve been, they begin to
feel guilty for the immoral behaviors and beg for forgiveness.