In the early 1600s, a group known as the Puritans first sailed to America seeking religious freedom and wishing to purify the church. Puritans believed in strict limitations, predestination, and that even though all men were sinners, God was working in their lives. Eventually, the Age of Enlightenment emerged and drew people away from the church, causing a religious revival known as the Great Awakening. During this time, impassioned preachers gave fiery sermons like, Jonathan Edwards’
“Sinners in the hands of an Angry God,” in attempt to reinforce piety and scare people back into the church. Throughout his sermon, Jonathan Edwards uses three main persuasive techniques to urge his audience to return to the church, the first being figurative language. Edwards offers numerous examples of metaphors such as fire, a “lake of burning brimstone”, a flood of “great waters”, and a “wide gaping mouth,” (19,20). Other forms of figurative language help to create the image of …show more content…
In his sermon, the preacher tells his audience that “The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you...his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else…” (21). With this, Edwards describes God as full of outrage and hate towards sinful mankind. According to the preacher, not only is God furious with people, but he is also unwilling to forgive them. Edwards shouts, “When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed...he will have no compassion upon you…” (21). Accordingly, Edwards uses his description of a God who lacks compassion to strike fear into the hearts of his listeners, in the hopes that it will bring them back to the
“Sinners in the hands of an Angry God,” in attempt to reinforce piety and scare people back into the church. Throughout his sermon, Jonathan Edwards uses three main persuasive techniques to urge his audience to return to the church, the first being figurative language. Edwards offers numerous examples of metaphors such as fire, a “lake of burning brimstone”, a flood of “great waters”, and a “wide gaping mouth,” (19,20). Other forms of figurative language help to create the image of …show more content…
In his sermon, the preacher tells his audience that “The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you...his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else…” (21). With this, Edwards describes God as full of outrage and hate towards sinful mankind. According to the preacher, not only is God furious with people, but he is also unwilling to forgive them. Edwards shouts, “When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed...he will have no compassion upon you…” (21). Accordingly, Edwards uses his description of a God who lacks compassion to strike fear into the hearts of his listeners, in the hopes that it will bring them back to the