An insight towards "Sinners in the hands of an Angry God!"

Jonathan Edwards

An excerpt from Sinners in the hands of an Angry God!:

“All wicked men's pains and contrivande which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, "No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself -- I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief -- Death outwitted me: God's wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me."

God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant.

So that, whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction.”

Edwards, Jonathon. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", April 1 2008. March 20 2008 <http://www.piney.com/JonEdwSinHands.html>

Self- Reflection

The sermon, Sinners in the hands of an Angry God, by Jonathon Edwards evokes a sense of divine justice that is established through the hands of a supreme deity known as god. As I was reading the sermon I was truly intrigued by the passive tone in which the speaker used in order to connote a sense of anger towards the men who committed sins within their lifetime. As the preacher, Jonathon Edwards, included god in his statement, I was hooked into the sermon as many of the actions were produced by the hands of the god. After reading into the sermon my insight upon god grew and it became very clear that god solely possessed the divine authority to sentence men to “hell” or a descent to a world of demise. The primary point within the sermon was to preach the powers of god and how such a deity possessed the ability to determine the future path of men after their death. This sermon related to the Puritan era as it was preached in every school as it instilled respect and gratitude within children and to provide an insight towards wisdom so that it could be used in order to help others. Furthermore, many white settlers looked to god in order to receive guidance in times of crisis and famine. As I read this sermon I feared the great power that god was shown to possess, however instantaneously I also was at awe at the great power and the abilities that god was capable of releasing. This learning tool within the Puritan era also relates to the present day as many today look to god for guidance and supreme justice. Thus in conclusion it would seem that I was truly captivated by the powers that one possessed in order to execute justice within the lives of humans.

Dear Diary,

February 19, 1622

Through my education in the new lands, I have come to become well acquainted with a famous sermon by Jonathon Edwards. Within my school, this speech known as, “The Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” has been preached day and night in order to give us societal values about the good and bad men of the world. After listening to this Puritan sermon countless times I have come to understand the nature of god and how those who exhibit evil characteristics always come to pay dearly through the hands of punishment. Initially when listening to the sermon my attention was primarily focused upon the divine power possessed by god to cast any man into the underworld in order to undergo reparations for his sins. As I sat in class I pondered this aspect of the sermon and believed solely that god has the divine power of command by his side in order to set order within the world. Therefore it is not wise to make any objections upon the will of god. Similarly, as Jonathon Edwards furthers into his sermon, he dictates the anger of god towards men are vile and cruel, and as a result such men have already been sentenced to the underworld. From this I found that men did not have a choice in their afterlife, however it was their actions that dictated their future and whether it would be aimed for the better or the worse. In conclusion, this Puritan Sermon in which I have listened to for the past week has enlightened my mind with knowledge which will aid me in the afterlife past death.

As the Sermon continues, Jonathon Edwards explicitly states the many punishments that men must endure as a result of the wrath of god for their severe actions upon community. When listening to the sermon I came to be interested at the fact that not man could escape the tortures brought by the underworld. When listening to this quote by my teacher is asked myself, “Is there really an underworld?” If such an entity was present then I figured the hands of god would prevent evil men from going to heaven. Many colleagues of mine have already acquired a sense of ruthlessness however I do not believe they are evil enough to make their way to the “underworld”. Similarly I found that within my teacher’s speech, that god’s hands’ were the decider of all aspects of life. Such characteristics I have found present no option to men after their death and therefore it is up to god ensure divine justice within the world. In conclusion I have found that Jonathon Edwards’s sermon truly dictates the power of god and how it possesses all authority.

A Visual Representation

A Politcal Extension

Essential Question Answer: Bradford/Bradstreet/Taylor/Edwards

In order to achieve the American Dream, one must awaken his or her competitive spirits in order to break away from family or other precious entities primarily to achieve a desirable goal that proves even more satisfactory. This aspect is seen within the Puritan work, Of Plymouth Plantation, as the white settlers lost their families brutally when aboard the Mayflower due to deadly sicknesses and storms. Therefore it is seen that during the Puritan Era, many white settlers looked to achieve a better lifestyle through all circumstances, and therefore a sense of competition had been aroused. Similarly, within other Puritan poems, the white settlers where shown to prosper upon the new lands and develop new settlements and farms; however, the Native Indians took dismay to these new people and experienced a sentiment of fear. Thus through these aspects of the work, it would seem that the Native Indians resented the white settlers due to their invasive actions in their hope to achieve the American Dream. Furthermore, it would seem that competition had arisen within the mentality of the Native Indians as they wished to preserve their dreams rather than paving a path to the American Dream for the white settlers to snatch. Additionally, the white settlers performed many domestic activities in order to achieve a prominent lifestyle in which was god’s will. Thus in conclusion, it would seem that competition takes place, even if one is set to aside precious objects or persons in order to attain a prominent lifestyle better known as the American Dream.