Throughout centuries, persuasion has been used to argue your point of view, whether it was the ability to give reason, or to cite evidence to support that idea. Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan preacher, used the power of appeal to reach his audience during a sermon. During Mr. Edwards sermons, he was able to capture the audience's attention by using many literary techniques such as; imagery to scare the literal hell out of people, the contrast of God's wrath and grace, and the demeanor in which he spoke in. An effective method that Mr. Edwards uses in his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is the detailed and vivid imagery he conveys while speaking. Imagery is visually descriptive and allows the audience to to virtually see the glories of heaven, and the fears and trepidation of hell. Edwards uses descriptions to set the fear of hell into his audience. Edwards uses imagery to recall God's wrath in the Old Testament, “If God should only withdraw his hand from …show more content…
Mr. Edwards argues that the only way to be saved from eternal damnation of hell was in the glory of God. Edwards divulged, “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open… a day wherein many are flocking to him.... and now in a happy state with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.” This excerpt from Jonathan Edwards’ speech, states the wonderful power in Gods salvation. Although Edwards also argues the wrath that God can inflict on people, “It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity.” This explains that God will allow people to suffer in Hell, not only for a moment, but for all of
This sermon, delivered by Jonathon Edwards, is one of the most renowned throughout the time of the Great Awakening. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was effective and persuasive in nature, so much that it convinced several individuals to convert and repent for their sins. Although Edwards was a theologian and preached among several of his faith, it was not the main factor of the sermon’s appeal; however, the literary contents were and it contributed to the sermon’s credibility as well as its beauty. The main factors of this appeal are the styles in which he writes, the tone in which it was written in, and the content of the sermon.
Jonathan Edwards, in the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" presents his beliefs through the usage of repetition and imagery. He expresses his thoughts to persuade readers of the wrath of God. Edwards usage of words and his repetition allows the reader to undestand what he wants the congregation to grasp from the text. In the sermon Edward repeats the phrase " the wrath of God" he emphasizes on the wrath of Almighty God to make it known that no one has the power to resist God, a persons actions can dertermine their destiny which can either be hell or heaven. the purpose of his repetion was to terrify the potestants into obeying his demands and prevent them into commiting a sin and burning into the firey pot of
The sketch that most exhibits the message and emotions that were delivered from Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” illustrates a man in a room, and the Virgin Mary outside the window. This sketch is a personal favorite of mine because the emotions and message were conveyed in a very powerful manner. This sketch made me stop and think and made me view it from a different perspective. It was abstractly painted, and the colors used accurately demonstrate the mood, environment, and time period in which this sermon was spoken. The audience that Edwards’ sermon was meant to be spoken to were those who were having second thoughts about the church and wanted to leave, it was his way of persuading them to join and remain
Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Summary Prompt And Directions Prompt: Write a SUMMARY that explains how Edwards’ view of human nature is depicted through his sermon. Identify at least three differents uses of “figures of speech” that he uses in order to convey his purpose and claim. Discuss how his tone makes an impact on the reader and how it helps or goes against his argument. Directions:
He uses the Pathos effect by giving examples of imagery of hell, making the audience fearful as well as tampering with their consciences. However, he also uses Ethos in the sermon. Edwards bases his sermon on the authority of the Bible. He uses many different scriptures and analogies from the Bible to reinforce his
It is clear that no one, based on the vivid description provided by the 6-hour sermon, wants to spend eternity in hell, and relating the audience to the sinners that were too late to respond to this call to action, those who once had this opportunity, gives it a powerful impact now that they know that they are subject to the same
Edward’s was trying to tell people that God love them, and they should love God. He talked about how they should leave their sinful life and give their hearts to God. Edwards believed if the sinner gives their life to God, they will be saved from hill. Edwards purpose to those who listened to his sermon was that what he said is true. And he warned them about the danger of Hell, Edwards was trying to explain to his audience that God is giving them an opportunity to accept God and have salvation.
He tells his congregation and listeners that “there is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one moment, out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God” as evidence that though they themselves have caused their damnation, God is who decides when they fall to their doom. Hell and the Devil are always ready to accept sinners into their pits for they are “prepared, [and] the fire is made ready...to receive them,” but Edwards repeats the inability of people to fall to the Devil without God’s permission. He touches on the idea that souls are owned, and that every soul is under God’s power and God’s will. By using massive amounts of imagery, Edwards creates a picture similar to that of a puppet on a string, emulating the idea that with one small decision the fates of millions could be destroyed. Edwards stresses God’s powerful and omnipotent judgement was an effect of his wrath, and continuously mentioned this wrath to instill panic in his listeners.
Edwards is trying to get the people to repent and in order for them to listen to him he has to scare them and cause pain to their soul. Metaphor is one of the rhetorical devices that Jonathan Edwards uses to capture the audience's
In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (1741), Jonathon Edwards gives a sermon saying that God is angry with everyone. The Puritans in the beginning believed that their fate was predetermined for them. Fate for most was hell. In order to escape hell and the angry wrath of God they had to come to accept and know God. Man cannot determine if God is sad, happy, or angry, but whatever His emotions are it is a result of our interactions with each other.
Jonathan Edwards, the preacher from the sermon Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God, preaches to his fellow devotees to God, to "inspire" people to participate in the worshiping of God. In reality, Edward's ineffectiveness in using dysphemisms, hyperbole, and negative appeals in his speech, makes his message deeply unbelievable. Edwards harsh diction toward opposing opinions makes one view him as attacking other aspects of a different beliefs. In the fifth paragraph Edwards said, "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead…" This sentence gives a feeling to be a little taken back by his tone. He disgustedly said "your wickedness" like you ,as in non-believers in God, are doing the absolute worst thing in the world.
“So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hands of God, over the pit of hell,” (Edwards 79) Edwards’ motive in his sermon is to scare the less devoted Puritans into being “born again” and dedicating their life to the Father. “The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconnected persons in this congregation.” (Edwards 80) Edwards believes man to all be self-righteous, unfaithful, and dubiously sinful creatures in desperate need of a savior. The only way that they can be spared being dropped into the pits of hell and graciously given eternal life is to repent of their transgressions and bow their knees to God in
One of his well-known sermon is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” preached at the meeting house in the village of Enfield, Connecticut, on Sunday, July 8, 1741, at the height of the great awakening. In this sermon, Edwards focused on the consequences of leading a sinful life, the power of God and repenting of ones sins, in order to be saved from hell. The purpose behind this piece of writing was not to terrorize or dismay the hearers, but to make them repent and believe in God again. This piece was aimed at those who lacked belief in God as well as churches.
The majority of this sermon is dedicated to the audience whom Edwards views with repulsion. He uses imagery to describe the awful Hell that he believes the people in the congregation will end up in and calls it a “great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath” (Paragraph 8). He illustrates the never ending state of Hell in order to frighten everyone in the audience. He sees each and every person as damned and honestly believes they deserve be sent to Hell to burn for all eternity. He feels no sympathy for them because they are completely free to do what they want and he knows that what they do with their free will is commit sin.
This interpretation of God becomes the reference point for the rest of the sermon. All of the commands and accusations in the sermon rely on Edwards' portrait of God as an angry, all-powerful being that has no obligation to have mercy upon his creations. By convincing his congregation of God's wrathful character, Edwards is then able to convince the congregation that they are in danger of damnation and severe punishment at the hand of this wrathful God. Edwards characterizes God as a being that "abhors" mortal men and "looks upon [them] as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire" (200). Edwards then uses scriptural references to support his claims about the nature of God.