In his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards uses imagery to create a tone that is at once stern and benevolent. Through these tones, Edwards uses pathos to frighten his congregation out of complacency and compel them to repent and accept Christ. Edwards establishes ethos simply through his reputation. When he gave this sermon, Edwards was a well-known and well-respected preacher. He also presented his sermon in a church, filled with people who had chosen to be there and who respected him.
In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Edwards brings into question the salvation of anyone who has not been “born again.” He never directly questions his own salvation, but declares that many in the congregation to which he is speaking will soon find themselves burning in hell. The only hope he offers for escaping from the fiery pits of eternal damnation is a metaphorical call to flock to the open arms of Jesus. Considering that he was speaking to a congregation of Puritans, such an ultimatum would seem superfluous: were they not all there for the purpose of seeking God’s mercy? Or perhaps Edwards was speaking to those Puritans like Anne Bradstreet in all their human imperfection. Unlike Edwards, Bradstreet’s writings reveal belief in a loving and forgiving God, one in whom her salvation need not be questioned despite her acknowledged failings and occasional doubt that we saw in “To My Dear Children.” Bradstreet’s imagery of God in “Some Verses upon the Burning” stands in potent juxtaposition to Edwards’ claims: Thou hast an house on high erect, Framed by that might Architect, With glory richly furnished, Stands permanent though this be fled.
Jonathan compares God’s wrath to a taunt bow, ready to fire at any moment. Ready to fire an arrow that he has no reason to hold back, yet God holds it back out of his loving nature. This imagery describes how the congregation members have nothing to hang onto to save them from hell. Jonathan sends the message that the sinners have made more offences to God then what would be forgivable, and if they do not reflect upon and correct their actions soon, they
Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out.... [tags: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edw] 591 words (1.7 pages) $9.95 [preview] Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Jonathan Edwards In the first few weeks of class we have discussed the thought and religion of the early people that first began the development of our counrty. As we have looked at the literature in class the works of these writers seem to be simlar in that each one talks about a higher
He uses this topic to penetrate main point inside the people’s hearts. Edwards also uses figure of speech to compare God’s wrath to common experiences people have. He also uses metaphor in his sermon to show what god wants to do such as the bow of God’s wrath being pointed to the hearts of the sinners. This shows that God could release his anger at any time but God’s kindness saves them. More into his sermon he compares sinners with a rock and a spider web.
He took the faith aspects of religion literally, leading to his genuine confusion. The other theme of “Salvation” is religious salvation as this story deals with the narrator’s experience at church. Religious institutions want those outside of their beliefs to believe convert to their religion, so they will attempt to press their ideals as a way to convert them. For Hughes, his aunt kept telling him
For sinning he gives consequences which are most likely being sent to hell, but god gives forgiveness. Jonathan Edward’s use of the imagery helps the reader understand the motives in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. The title itself explains its self ,”Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” , god is holding the people who sin in his hands and is angry which means he would like to drop us into hell. Edwards hoped that the imagery and message of his sermon would awaken his audience to the horrific reality that awaited them should they continue without Christ. The imagery puts an picture or image inside the readers mind so they could get a better understanding in what’s actually going on in the story which is sinning.
Lincoln is preaching that we cannot pass God’s judgement upon others without first thinking about how God would judge us. In addition, Lincoln goes on to explain that the south and the north were expecting God to gift them different outcomes than the outcomes the end of the war brought because neither side can enjoy a complete sense of satisfaction. Consequently, Lincoln emphasizes that almighty God has his own will and the end result of the civil war is what God had planned instead of what the North or South had hoped for. Lincoln’s mentioning of God through out his speech is his way of relating to the American people by ensuring them that he is a religious man himself, by stating that he reads his bible every day and
Something "must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper" (28). But Mr. Hooper could just be hiding his own sin, not providing the congregation with an example of how they are denying the sin that they have committed. A Christian is told to ask forgiveness of his sin before their judgment day and they will be forgiven and accepted into heaven, or not accept their sins and be damned to hell. Would a reverend be a hypocrite toward his fellow believers? Mr. Hooper is clearly
In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Flannery O'Connor shows us that in some situation the very humans that preach the good lord's name everyday will throw away all their teachings in a instance to save their own life. While in “On Her Catholic Faith” she tells us why her faith is unwavering and that she will never disbelieve, which important because the whole point in religion is to trust God's choices. A religious belief should not be broken easily considering if you slightly dis believe what the holy book tell you it could mean you spiraling into a demon infested hell hole. In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we see that religion doesn’t turn out to be the most important thing to the grandmother after all. Throughout the story you perceive her as a very religious person, someone who would never give up her faith.