Jonathan Edwards

Sinners in the Hands of the Angry God!

They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.
So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God bums against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the fumace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them.
The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

Reflection:

Edward Taylor uses this sermon to convert others to God’s grace and those who are in it may not truly believe it so they are sentenced to a life of damnation. He preaches on and on about how even if your children have made the promises to God that they might not understand what their promises are and therefore are not saved from God’s wrath. It seemed that he used this method to scare people into believing God was a merciless being of whom someone did something wrong they were immediately swallowed by the Gates of Hell. This sermon was nothing more than a scare tactic used by Edward Taylor to get people into believing his way of how he believes in God.


Dear Diary:

My parents took me to listen to a speaker in the town hall, who seemed to be fixated on how God sees a person. He kept using the words “hell” and “damn” which are words my parents will never let me say, but he used them constantly. When he talked he made me feel that everyone is bad and they have to be guilty for something. He made me feel that I was sentenced to a life in hell and Gods hand will punish me as I sit in a barren wasteland of nothing for all eternity. I do not believe entirely what this man is true, but that is why we came to this new world so we could believe in what we thought was right.