The Puritan Tradition

from
RI 3 Analyze a complex set
of ideas and explain how
specific ideas interact and
develop over the course of the
text. RI 6 Determine an authors
point of view or purpose in a
text in which the rhetoric is
particularly effective, analyzing
how style and content contribute
to the power, persuasiveness,
or beauty of the text. L 3 Apply
knowledge of language to
understand how language
functions in different contexts
and to comprehend more fully
when reading.

did you know?

Jonathan Edwards . . .
wrote a paper on spiders
at age 11.
died as a result of a
smallpox inoculation.
was the grandfather
of Aaron Burr, vicepresident under Thomas
Jefferson.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Sermon by Jonathan Edwards

VIDEO TRAILER

KEYWORD: HML11-122A

Meet the Author

Jonathan Edwards

17031758

When Jonathan Edwards delivered a

sermon, with its fiery descriptions of hell
and eternal damnation, people listened.
Edwards believed that religion should
be rooted not only in reason but also in
emotion. Although 19th-century editors
tried to tone down his style, Edwards is
recognized today as a masterful preacher.
In fact, he is considered by many to be
Americas greatest religious thinker.
A Spiritual Calling Born in East Windsor,
Connecticut, Edwards was a child prodigy
and entered what is now Yale University
at the age of 12. While a graduate student
there, Edwards experienced a spiritual
crisis that led to what he later described
as religious joy. He came to believe that
such an intense religious experience was
an important step toward salvation.

In 1722, after finishing his education,

Edwards followed the path of
his father and grandfather
and
g
became a Puritan
minister. In
Pu
1726, Edwards
Edwar began assisting
his grandfather,
grandfath who was the
minister at the
th parish church in
Northampton,
Northampto Massachusetts.
When his grandfather
died three
gr
years later, Edwards
became the
E
churchs pastor.
pasto
Religious Revivalist
Rev
Edwards

became an effective
soon bec
preacher. In 1734 and
preach

1735, he delivered a series of sermons that

resulted in a great number of conversions.
The converts believed they had felt Gods
grace and were born again when they
accepted Jesus Christ.
Edwardss sermons helped trigger the
Great Awakening, a religious revival that
swept through New England from 1734
to 1750. The movement grew out of a
sense among some Puritan ministers that
their congregations had grown too selfsatisfied. Delivered at the height of the
Great Awakening, Sinners in the Hands
of an Angry God is the most famous of
Edwardss nearly 1,200 sermons.
Last Years Although Edwards inspired

thousands, his church dismissed him

in 1750 because he wanted to limit
membership to those who had undergone
conversion. A year later, Edwards went
to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he
became a missionary in a Native American
settlement. In 1757, he accepted an
appointment as president of what is now
Princeton University.
By the time of Edwardss death the
following year, the extremism of the
Great Awakening had been rejected.
However, his vision of humanity
suspended, like a spider, over the
burning pit of hell still maintains its
emotional impact.

Author Online
Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML11-122B

122

NA_L11PE-u01s32-brSin.indd

122

12/22/10

4:55:50 PM

text analysis: persuasion

Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards delivered powerfully
persuasive sermons. As in all persuasive writing, an Edwards
sermon is shaped by the authors purpose, his audience, and
his contextthat is, his reason for preaching, his Puritan
congregation, and the times in which the Puritans lived. One of
Edwardss most prominent rhetorical or persuasive techniques
is the use of biblical allusionsreferences to figures, events,
or places in the Bible that he assumed his congregation would
recognize.
As you read Edwardss sermon, look for passages that reveal
how purpose and audience affect the tone of his sermon.

reading skill: analyze emotional appeals

Emotional appeals are messages designed to persuade an
audience by creating strong feelings. They often include sensory
language to create vivid imagery and loaded words to create
these types of feelings:
fear, which taps into a fear of losing ones safety or security
pity, which draws on a sympathy or compassion for others
guilt, which relies on ones sense of ethics or morality
As you read, use a chart like the one below to record examples
of language that appeals to the emotions.
Examples

Emotional Appeals

arrows of death fly unseen

appeals to fear by creating anxiety,

unease

What keeps you

in line?

A sense of morality probably keeps

you from cheating on a test. In other
words, you know cheating is wrong. But
there are other reasons for behaving
morally. Some people are anxious to
please. Others fear the consequences of
breaking the rules. Jonathan Edwards
uses fear to get his point across in the
sermon youre about to read.
ROLE-PLAY With a partner, take turns
role-playing a conversation with a child
who has been stealing. Your mission is
to persuade him or her to stop. Before
you begin, consider how best to keep
the child in line. For example, you might
frighten or shame the child or appeal to
his or her pride.

vocabulary in context
Jonathan Edwards uses the listed words to help convey his
spiritual message. Choose a word from the list that is a
synonym for each of the numbered words.

word
list

abhor

deliverance

mitigation

abominable

discern

whet

appease

incense

ascribe

induce

1. detest

3. sharpened

2. easing

4. anger greatly

5. attribute

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

123

NA_L11PE-u01s32-brSin.indd

123

12/22/10

4:56:04 PM

of an
Jonathan Edwards

background Jonathan Edwards delivered his sermon Sinners in the Hands of an

Angry God in 1741 to a congregation in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards read the sermon,
as he always did, in a composed style, with few gestures or movements. However, the
sermon had a dramatic effect on his parishioners, many of whom wept and moaned.

10

We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so
it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by; thus easy
is it for God when he pleases to cast his enemies down to hell. . . .
They1 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 angry 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. a

124

Analyze Visuals
This painting by
Italian artist Giuseppe
Arcimboldo presents an
allegory of fire. What
lesson or message does
the painting seem to
suggest about the
meaning of fire?

a PERSUASION

Reread lines 811. Notice

that Edwards directly
addresses his audience in
these lines. How do you
imagine the audience
responded to these
words?

1. they: Earlier in the sermon, Edwards refers to all unconverted men, whom he considers Gods enemies.
Unconverted men are people who have not been born again, meaning that they have not accepted
Jesus Christ.
Fire, allegory (1566), Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Painted for Emperor
Maximillian II. Limewood, 66.5 cm 51 cm. Inv. 1585. Kunsthistorisches
unit 1: early american writing
Museum, Vienna. Erich Lessing/Art Resource, New York.

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

124

12/22/10

4:56:09 PM

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

125

12/22/10

4:56:19 PM

20

30

40

50

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 burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is
prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace 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. . . . b
Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are
innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight,
and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noonday; the
sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways
of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is
nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or
go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any
moment. . . .
So that, thus it is that natural men2 are held in the hand of God, over the pit of
hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is
dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually
suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell; and they have done
nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least
bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for
them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would
fain3 lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts
is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator,4 there are
no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no
refuge, nothing to take hold of. . . . c
The bow of Gods wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and
justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but
the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or
obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with
your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the
mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born
again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new,
and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry
God. However you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have
had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and
closets,5 and in the house of God, it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you
from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. . . . d
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, and is dreadfully provoked: his

whet (hwDt) adj.

sharpened
b EMOTIONAL APPEALS

Reread lines 1418. What

imagery does Edwards
use in these lines?

discern (dG-srnP) v. to
perceive or recognize
something

appease (E-pCzP) v. to
bring peace, quiet, or calm
to; to soothe

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Loaded language, or
words with strong
emotional associations,
can be used to influence
an audiences attitude.
What examples of loaded
language do you see in
lines 2730?

d PERSUASION

The imagery in lines

3842 is well suited to
the serrmons historical
context. Why might the
bow and arrow have held
negative associations for
Colonial Americans?
abhor (Bb-hrP) v. to
regard with disgust

2. natural men: people who have not been born again.

3. would fain: would rather.
4. Mediator: Jesus Christ, who mediates, or is the means of bringing about, salvation.
5. closets: private rooms for meditation.

126

unit 1: early american writing

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

126

12/22/10

4:56:23 PM

Babylon Burning. From the Apocalypse of Saint John (Revelations 18). Luther Bible, First Edition. 1530. Private collection. Photo Art Resource, New York.

60

wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else,
but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight;
you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful
venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a
stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you
from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that
you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered6 to awake again in
this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be
given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but
that Gods hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you
have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking
his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship.

abominable
(E-bJmPE-nE-bEl) adj.
thoroughly detestable
ascribe (E-skrFbP) v. to
attribute to a specified
cause or source

6. you was suffered: you were permitted.

sinners in the hands of an angry god

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

127

127

12/22/10

4:56:24 PM

70

Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very
moment drop down into hell. e
O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath,
a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the
hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you,
as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the
flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and
burn it asunder;7 and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay
hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your
own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to
spare you one moment. . . .
It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will
be no end to this exquisite8 horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall
see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Notice the use of the
simile, or comparison,
in lines 5065. In what
way does comparing
the audience to a spider
appeal to fear?

incense (Gn-sDnsP) v. to
cause to be extremely
angry
induce (Gn-dLsP) v. to
succeed in persuading
someone to do something

7. burn it asunder (E-sOnPdEr): burn it into separate parts or pieces.

8. exquisite (DkPskwG-zGt): intensely felt.

Detail of Hell, Hendrik met de Bles, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Erich Lessing/Art Resource, New York.

128

unit 1: early american writing

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

128

12/22/10

4:56:29 PM

80

90

100

thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having
any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly
that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and
conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so
done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will
know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed
be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is!
All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation
of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For who knows the power of Gods
anger?9
How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of
this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this
congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and
religious, they may otherwise be. . . .
And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has
thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in the door calling and crying
with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and
pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming10 from the east, west,
north, and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that
you are in, are 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. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To
see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many
rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow
of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a
condition? . . .
Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath
to come. . . .  f

deliverance (dG-lGvPEr-Ens)
n. rescue from danger
mitigation (mGt-G-gAPshEn)
n. lessening of something
that causes suffering
RI 3, RI 6

ALLUSION
Reread lines 75 to the
end, and consider how
purpose and audience
influence Edwardss
language in these lines.
As habitual readers of
the Bible, members of his
congregation would be
familiar with the biblical
contrast between a God
of wrath and a God of
mercy. In lines 8788, they
would recognize a biblical
allusion or reference in
the quotation from Psalm
90. In line 99, they would
hear echoes of biblical
passages that identify
Christ as the lamb of God
and that associate Christs
blood with the cleansing
of sin. How do allusions
such as these increase
the persuasive appeal of
Edwardss sermon? Cite
evidence from the selection
to support your response.

9. who knows . . . anger?: an allusion to Psalm 90:11 in the BibleWho knoweth the power
of thine anger?
10. Many . . . coming: a reference to the hundreds of people who were being converted during
the Great Awakening.

sinners in the hands of an angry god

NA_L11PE-u01s32-Sins.indd

129

129

12/22/10

4:57:14 PM

After Reading

Comprehension
1. Recall According to Jonathan Edwardss sermon, what is a constant threat
to all human beings?
2. Clarify In Edwardss view, what must sinners do to be spared Gods wrath?
3. Summarize What key image does Edwards use to persuade his audience?

Text Analysis
4. Analyze Emotional Appeals Review the examples of words, phrases, and
images you recorded as you read. How does this language effectively appeal
to the audiences emotions and get Edwardss message across?

RI 3 Analyze a complex set

of ideas and explain how
specific ideas interact and
develop over the course of the
text. RI 6 Determine an authors
point of view or purpose in a
text in which the rhetoric is
particularly effective, analyzing
how style and content contribute
to the power, persuasiveness,
or beauty of the text. L 3 Apply
knowledge of language to
understand how language
functions in different contexts
and to comprehend more fully
when reading.

5. Analyze Persuasion What role does the appeal to fear or terror play in
Edwardss sermon? How do biblical allusions support the writers appeal to
fear? Cite evidence from the sermon to support your response.
6. Draw Conclusions How would you describe Jonathan Edwardss view of the
following? Cite specific examples for each.
God

Christ

humanity

7. Compare Literary Works Use a chart like the one shown to compare some of
Jonathan Edwardss and Anne Bradstreets attitudes and beliefs. Cite specific
d etails from their writings to support your ideas.
Edwards

Bradstreet

Eternal Life
Gods Relation
to People
Religious Beliefs
Human Frailty

Text Criticism
8. Historical Context In the 18th century, many people died at a much younger
age than they do today. How might awareness of the fragility of life have
affected peoples receptiveness to Edwardss sermon?

What keeps you

in line ?

In this well-known sermon, Edwards acknowledges that his listeners may

already be moral and religious. If he isnt trying to scare listeners into moral
behavior, what is his true purpose?

130

unit 1: early american writing

NA_L11PE-u01s32-arSin.indd

130

1/6/11

10:26:42 AM

Vocabulary in Context
vocabulary practice

word list

Decide whether the boldface words make the statements true or false.

abhor

1. If a movie is said to be abominable, you should expect to hate it.

abominable

2. A good way to appease a friend is to criticize her.

appease

3. Feeding the hungry would result in the mitigation of their suffering.

ascribe

4. If you discern a difference between two documents, you notice that they are
not alike.

deliverance
discern
incense

5. A person who abhors you is probably a close friend.

6. When you ascribe a motive to a crime, you explain why someone did it.
7. One way to incense someone is to say something complimentary.
8. If you have trouble cutting a steak, it might help to whet your knife.

induce
mitigation
whet

9. An example of deliverance is the rescue of passengers from a sinking ship.

10. If I induce you to help me do a hard job, I have managed to persuade you.

academic vocabulary in writing

document

illustrate

interpret

promote

reveal

What does Edwardss sermon reveal about Puritan thought on the human
condition? Do you think the Puritans believed that they had full control over
their own lives? Write a paragraph explaining how Puritans saw themselves
in relation to God, and use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your
response.

vocabulary strategy: connotation

Though some words may have the same definition, their connotations, or shades
of meaning, can vary. In Edwardss sermon, for example, the word incensed
suggests a stronger feeling than angered. As you read large sections of text, you
can use context clues to determine a words exact shade of meaning.
PRACTICE Based on context clues, select a more intense word from the following
list to replace each boldface word in the paragraph.

RI 4 Determine the meaning

of words as they are used in
a text, including connotative
meanings. L 4a Use context
as a clue to the meaning of
a word. L 5 Demonstrate
understanding of nuances in
word meanings.

antipathy disconsolate contrive momentous negligible

Our debate team has placed second in state competition for the past three
years. Next year, we have to figure out a way to take first place. The difference
in our score and those of the teams that beat us has been minor, so we havent
been too unhappy about placing second. In fact, we have no dislike of the
other teams. Nevertheless, bringing the trophy home next year will be a very
important occasion.

Interactive
Vocabulary
Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML11-131

sinners in the hands of an angry god

NA_L11PE-u01s32-arSin.indd

131

131

1/6/11

10:26:44 AM