from Sinners in the

Hands of an Angry God

Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)
Brilliant, stern, zealous preacher
Followed his grandfathers footsteps
Took the pulpit at age 13
Brought the religious revival known as
The Great Awakening 1730s
Extremism as a pastor

The Great Awakening

Before it was over, it had swept the colonies of the Eastern seaboard, transforming the social
and religious life of land. Although the name is slightly misleading--the Great Awakening
was not one continuous revival, rather it was several revivals in a variety of locations--it says
a great deal about the state of religion in the colonies. For the simple reality is that one cannot
be awakened unless you have fallen asleep.
Neither the Anglicans who came to dominate religious life in Virginia after royal control was
established over Jamestown, nor the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay, were terribly successful
in putting down roots. The reality was that on the frontier, the settled parish system of
England-- which was employed by Puritan and Anglican alike--proved difficult to transplant.
Unlike the compact communities of the old world, the small farms and plantations of the new
spread out into the wilderness, making both communication and ecclesiastical discipline
difficult. Because people often lived great distances from a parish church, membership and
participation suffered. In addition, on the frontier concern for theological issues faded before
the concern for survival and wrestling a living from a hard and difficult land. Because the
individual was largely on his own, and depended on himself for survival, authoritarian
structures of any sort--be they governmental or ecclesiastical--met with great resistance. As a
result, by the second and third generations, the vast majority of the population was outside the
membership of the church.
Up and down the Eastern Seaboard, the landscape was littered with the dry tender of the
unchurched. All that was required was a spark of revival to set the landscape afire with
religious enthusiasm. And when that spark ignited, those who led the revival were so
surprised by what was taking place, that they "attributed it entirely to God's inscrutable
grace."

Structure & Delivery of a

Puritan Sermon
Delivery of a Puritan Sermon:
The Puritans believed that the real power of a sermon
was to be found in its words, rather than its delivery.
Since the words were thought to be divinely inspired, it
was believed that the words alone carried enough power
to affect the congregation.
As the preacher was simply a flawed agent of Gods
work, his presentation of the sermon was expected to be
as unadorned as possible, so that the delivery of the
sermon would not distract listeners from the words.
Preachers usually spoke their sermons in a deliberate
monotone.

Traditional Structure of a Puritan Sermon

Most Puritan sermons were modeled after this structure. Examine Sinners in
the Hands of an Angry God for the five main sections of the sermon
epigraph, doctrine, reasons, application, and epilogue.

I. Epigraph
a. Grammatical Reading
- Restatement of the epigraph in easily
accessible terms
b. Logical Meaning
- Explanation of the epigraphs Biblical
context and its meaning within that
context
c. Figurative Meaning
- Prcis of the epigraphs theological
and real-world implications

II. Doctrine
a. Breaking Down the Topic
- Division of the sermons message into
clear subsets
b. Demonstration of Scriptural
Evidence
- Reference of relevant scriptural
passages that support the meaning
that
the preacher has drawn from the
epigraph

III. Reasons
a. Establishing the Validity of the Doctrine
- Coherent explanation of why the
doctrine is rational and true
b. Why Listeners Should Be Convinced
- An extension of the above
Involves an explanation of why the listeners,
specifically, should believe in the truth of the
doctrine.

IV. Application
a. Personal Life
- Statement of how the doctrine applies
to ones own personal, spiritual, and
family lives
b. Community and World
- Statement of how the doctrine applies
to the immediate community, as well as
the greater world

V. Epilogue
a. Emphasis of Arguments
- Persuasive and bolder restatement of the
main points of the argument
b. Call to Action
- Stimulation of the congregation to
meaningful action and continued awareness of
this issue
c. Emotional Appeal
- Final attempt to convince congregation of
the unassailable truth of the message/doctrine

Part I: Getting Started - Initial Impressions

Question 1: What was stirring, striking, or memorable to you in
reading this sermon?

Likely Responses:
Danger, destruction, fear evoked by images (See Part II for a
discussion of images)
Portrayal of God as punitive, angry, destructive
Repetition
Why is this important for a sermon? Can you recall other
speeches youve heardor have giventhat have also used
repetition?

Part II: O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in!
Question 1: What images or analogies does Jonathan Edwards
use to evoke the situation of the unconverted? (What does it
mean to be unconverted?)
Some Images/Analogies:
Falling
Dry stubble and flames
Worm and foot
Thread and scissors
Lead
Rock and spiders web
Dammed waters ready to burst forth
Bow and arrow (7)

Question 2: What are the most prominent themes

communicated by these images?
Possible Responses:
Asymmetry of power and importance
Inescapable nature of destruction
Imminence, though unpredictability, of
destruction
Seeds of destruction are there, just
momentarily stayed, restrained by God

Question 3: How are listeners meant to feel?

Possible Responses:
Aware of their vulnerability and impotence
Aware of the danger they are in, and afraid

Question 4: Come up with another image that

conveys a predicament similar to the plight of
the sinner that Edwards speaks of.
Possibilities:
Cocked gun
Volcano ready to erupt
Violet and lawnmower

Question 5: Edwards communicates the danger of death and

damnation that faces the unconverted. What might his listeners think
would preserve the wicked? How does Edwards counter these
assumptions?
Below are listed a number of assumptions that Edwards congregants may
have had about God and salvation. Following each assumption is a series of
counter-points that Edwards makes in the sermon.

God doesnt have the power to destroy me.

God does have this power. Doctrine I states that the earth tremblesthe
rocks are thrown down before God; clearly he can cast a wicked person
into hell.
It wouldnt be fair for me to be damned.
Peoples sins make them deserve to be damned. Justice demands it. They
are already sentenced to hell. No one deserves not to be damned because of
his own merits. (Doctrines II and III)
If God were really angry with me, then I would be in hell now. Since Im
alive now, then God must not be angry enough with me to condemn me.

Part III: This is a day of mercy.

Question 1: What is the purpose of his sermon? How are people meant to
respond?
Possible Responses:
Purposes:
Convince listeners of Gods power
Emphasize importance of working towards conversion, living a Christian
life
Unsettle congregants in order to spur lifestyle changes
How People are Meant to Respond:
Re-evaluation of priorities
Change in view and understanding of God
Alteration of external and personal lives
Resolution to strive for conversion

Part IV: Thinking about how the

sermon works
Question 1: How does this sermon work? What makes/made it effective?
Possible Responses:
Compelling and familiar imagery (from Bible and of Edwards invention)
Relation to the audience (addressing the congregations assumptions about
God and salvation; discussing the possibility of even one congregant being
condemned to hell)
Repetition of messages and images (ensures comprehension, but admittedly
risks boredom)
Stirring of audience to change (by use of compelling and fearful imagery)
Doesnt just frighten listeners - offers a way to change the situation
(Christian life, aspiring towards conversion)

Question 2: What are Edwards sources of authority or

credibility? How does he elicit a response from his listeners?

Possible Responses:
Sources of Authority/Credibility:
Biblical passages that support his claims
Biblical stories (eg: Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego)
Lived experience (eg: knowledge of people who died
unexpectedly)
Methods of Eliciting Listener Response:
Using images and analogous situations to elicit emotional
response
Drawing on and considering implications of listeners
understanding of God
Logical reasoning

Question 6: What is the predicament of the unconverted,

including those among his listeners?
Also perhaps look together at the summary paragraphs
on pp. 6 & 9, beginning with So that thus it is
and O sinner! Consider the fearful danger
respectively.
Possible Responses:
In imminent danger
Unable to preserve themselves
Can only be saved by God, must be converted

Nicenet Posting
Edwards fiery words were delivered to the
congregation of a church he was visiting.
What is Edwards tone, or attitude toward
his audience, and what effect does this
attitude have on his listeners?
Post by Thursday at 10 PM
OP #2Due FridayMLA typed